The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is located in Vishwanath Gali of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh in India. The temple stands on the western bank of the holy river Ganga, and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest of Shiva temples.
The main deity is known by the names Shri Vishwanath and Vishweshwara literally meaning Lord of the Universe.Varanasi was called Kashi (shining) in ancient times, and hence the temple is popularly called Kashi Vishwanath Temple.The temple is considered a central part of worship in the Shaiva culture by Hindu scriptures.
It had been demolished by many Muslim rulers many times, most recently by Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor who constructed the Gyanvapi Mosque on its site.The current structure was built on an adjacent site by the Maratha ruler, Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore in the year 1780.Since 1983, the temple has been managed by the government of Uttar Pradesh.
As per the Shiva Purana once Brahma the Hindu God of creation and Vishnu the Hindu God of Preservation had an argument about who was supreme.To test them Shiva pierced the three worlds as a huge endless pillar of light the jyotirlinga. To determine who was mightier Vishnu took the form of a boar and sought out the bottom while Brahma took the form of a swan to fly to the pillar's top.
Brahma out of arrogance lied that he had found out the end offering a katuki flower as witness.Vishnu modestly confessed to being unable to find the bottom. Shiva then took the form of the wrathful Bhairava cut off Brahma's lying fifth head and cursed Brahma that he would not be worshipped.Vishnu for his honesty would be worshiped as equal to Shiva with his own temples for all eternity.
The jyotirlinga is an ancient axis mundi symbol representing the supreme formless (nirguna) reality at the core of creation out of which the form (saguna) of Shiva appears. The jyothirlinga shrines, thus are places where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light.There are 64 forms of Shiva, not to be confused with Jyotirlingas.
Each of the twelve jyotirlinga sites take the name of the presiding deity each considered different manifestation of Shiva.At all these sites, the primary image is lingam representing the beginningless and endless Stambha pillar, symbolizing the infinite nature of Shiva.The twelve jyothirlinga are
Somnath in Gujarat, Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh ,Mahakaleswar at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh, Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, Bhimashankar in Maharashtra,Viswanath at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Triambakeshwar in Maharashtra, Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga in Deoghar Jharkhand, Nageswar at Dwarka in Gujarat ,Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and Grishneshwar at Aurangabad in Maharashtra.
Meera Subramanian says,
The temple architecture and spiritual energy are amazing. Felt deeply connected.
Lakshmi Narayan says,
Every visit brings inner peace and strength. Jai Shri Ram ????
Suresh Kumar says,
The divine presence here is very powerful. A truly holy Swayambhu temple
Kavya Nair says,
Such a serene and spiritually uplifting temple. Felt calm and blessed.
Arjun Patel says,
A sacred place filled with devotion and history. Highly recommend visiting with family
Ananya Reddy says,
Blessed to have darshan here. The vibrations and positivity are beyond words.
Priya Iyer says,
An unforgettable spiritual experience. The atmosphere is so pure and peaceful.
Rahul Sharma says,
Felt divine energy as soon as I entered the temple. Truly a powerful Swayambhu kshetra. ????
Sugam Darshan is from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm , Rudrabhishek is from 4:00 am to 6:00 pm ,Mangala Aarti is from 3:00 am to 4:00 am, Bhog Aarti is from 11:15 am to 12:20 pm , Sandhya Aarti is from 7:00 pm to 8:15 pm ,Shringar Aarti is from 9:00 pm to 10:15 pm and Shayan Aarti is from 10:30 pm to 11:00 pm
Shri Kashi Vishwanath Mandir Rituals
The Temple opens daily at 2:30 A.M. The Mangala Aarti is performed at 3 to 4 A.M. wherein the ticket holders are permitted to join.
From 4 to 11 AM the temple remains open for general Darshan. From 11:30 to 12 AM Mid day
Bhog Aarti is performed by the priests where a range of bhog prasadam is offered to the Lords. Again from 12 Noon to 7 PM devotees are free to have Darshan of the Baba.
In the evening, from 7 to 8:30 PM, Sapta Rishi Aarti is done after which darshan is again possible up till 9:00 PM when Shringar/Bhog Aarti starts.
Shayan Aarti starts at 10:30 PM and the Temple closes at 11 PM.
Address : Kashi Vishwanath Mandir, Lahori Tola, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 22100
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