Shiva is the subject of the Hindu shrine Kashi Vishwanath shrine. It is situated in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India’s Vishwanath Gali. One of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines, the temple is a Hindu pilgrimage place. The titles Vishwanath and Vishweshwara (IAST: Viśvanātha and Viśveśvara), which translate to “Lord of the Universe,” are used to refer to the ruling god.
Numerous historical narratives state that in 1669, Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb gave the order to demolish the Hindu temple. The Gyanvapi Mosque was erected in 1678, although Hindu pilgrims kept coming to see the temple’s ruins. Ahilyabai Holkar, Indore’s Maratha ruler, built the tower in 1780 on an adjoining plot.
The Kashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor, which connects the temple to the Ganga river, was launched by Prime Minister Modi in 2021, following a significant renovation of the temple complex that resulted in a significant rise in visits. With an average of 45,000 pilgrims every day in 2023, it has grown to become one of the most popular Hindu temples in India. In 2024, the temple’s total assets were projected to exceed ₹6 crores.
Legend
Varanasi is said to have been the site of the first Jyotirlinga manifestation. In front of Brahma, the Hindu deity of creation, and Vishnu, the Hindu god of preservation, during a dispute over who was superior, is where Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction, is said to have appeared as an endless column of light (Jyotirlinga).
To find the source of the glowing column, Vishnu adopted the form of a boar (Varaha) and followed the column underground, while Brahma, in the guise of a swan, searched the skies for the column’s high point. Neither of them was able to locate the source of the bright column, though.
However, Brahma falsely claimed to have found the column’s peak, and Vishnu humbly acknowledged that he was unable to locate the radiant column’s beginning. Shiva cursed Brahma and chopped off his fifth head as retribution for his deception in hiding the origin of the light column. This curse meant that Brahma would no longer be respected, but Vishnu, who was honest, would be respected just as much as Shiva and would have temples devoted to him for all eternity.
According to Hindu scriptures, Vishweshwara is Varanasi’s holy god, ruling over all other deities, all city residents, and the expanded circle of the Panchkoshi, a region that stretches over 50 miles and serves as the city’s sacred boundary.
The Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva
An old axis mundi symbol, the jyotirlinga symbolizes the utterly formless (nirguna) truth at the center of creation, from which the form (saguna) of Shiva emerges. That is why Shiva is said to have emerged as a blazing column of light at the Jyothirlinga temples.
Twelve’self manifested’ jyotirlinga locations, named after the reigning god, exist; each is regarded as a distinct Shiva manifestation. The main picture at each of these locations is a lingam, which stands in for the vast and boundless Stambha pillar and represents Shiva’s infinite essence.
The locations of the twelve Jyothirlinga are Baidyanath Jyotirlinga at Deoghar in Jharkhand; Nageswar at Dwarka 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; Baidyanath Jyotirlinga at Deoghar in Jharkhand; Nageswar at Dwarka in Gujarat; Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu; and Grishneshwar at Aurangabad in Maharashtra.
History of Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Classical and ancient times
Both the Skanda Purana and the Brahmavaivarta Purana have sections titled “Kashi Khanda” and “Kashi Rahasya” that are devoted to the city of Varanasi.
There were 1099 temples in all, according to the Kashi Khanda, 513 of which were dedicated to the worship of Shiva. According to the scripture, Moksha Lakshmi Vilas was the previous name of the Vishvanath temple. There were five mandapas (halls) in the temple. The innermost sanctuary, or garbhagriha, was home to the Vishwanath lingam. The Jnana mandapa to the east, the Ranga mandapa to the west, the Aishvarya mandapa to the north, and the Mukti mandapa to the south are the remaining four mandapas.
In his book Tristhalisetu, Nārāyaṇa Bhaṭṭa and Madhuri Desai explain that the temple revolves around a recurring cycle of destruction and regeneration.
The Middle Ages and their devastation
The Ghurids demolished the ancient Vishwanath temple, also called the Adi Vishveshwar Temple, in 1194 after Mu’izz al-Din Muhammad ibn Sam came to India, vanquished Jayachandra of Kannauj at Chandawar, and then destroyed the city of Kashi. It was replaced in a few years [year required] by the Razia Mosque. During the time of Delhi’s Sultan Iltutmish (1211–1266), the temple was erected around 1230, distant from the original site, close to the Avimukteshwara Temple. During the reigns of Sikandar Lodi (1489–1517) or Hussain Shah Sharqi (1447–1458), it was destroyed once again.
Mughal period
Sketches by James Prinsep
During Akbar’s reign, Raja Man Singh began reconstructing the temple, but Orthodox Hindus opposed it since Man Singh had let Akbar wed his sister and Jehangir, his daughter. In 1585, Raja Todar Mal advanced the temple’s renovation.
The previous temple was constructed by Vir Singh Deo in the seventeenth century, under the reign of Jahangir. The temple was demolished and replaced by the Gyanvapi Mosque in 1669 by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. The mosque’s back area, columns, and foundation are all made of the remnants of the former temple.
The British era and the Maratha
Malhar Rao Holkar, the Maratha emperor, came up with a proposal in 1742 to destroy the mosque and rebuild the Vishweshwar temple in its place. But the Nawab of Awadh intervened and took control of the region, which prevented his plan from coming to pass. The Maharaja of Jaipur attempted, but was unsuccessful, to purchase land for the reconstruction of the Kashi Vishwanath temple in 1750 by commissioning a study of the surrounding area.
In front of the temple, Collector Mohammed Ibrahim built a Naubatkhana in 1785 at the request of Governor General Warren Hastings. The current temple was constructed in 1780 by Ahilyabai Holkar, the daughter-in-law of Malhar Rao, next to the mosque. In the Gyan Vapi precinct, Baiza Bai, the widow of Maratha king Daulat Rao Scindhia of Gwalior State, constructed a low-roofed colonnade with more than forty pillars in 1828. Between 1833 and 1840, the ghats (riverside steps) and other neighboring temples were built along the edge of Gyanvapi Well.
The temple’s functioning was made possible by the rich donations of several noble families from the different ancient kingdoms of the Indian subcontinent and their precursor states. At the request of his wife, Maharani Datar Kaur, Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Empire donated one tonne of gold in 1835 to plate the temple’s dome. The temple received a silver donation from Raghuji Bhonsle III of Nagpur in 1841.
A hereditary group of pandits, or mahants, oversaw the temple. A disagreement emerged amongst Mahant Devi Dutt’s heirs following his passing. Pandit Visheshwar Dayal Tewari, his brother-in-law, launched a lawsuit in 1900, leading to his appointment as head priest.
Following Independence
On July 5, 2018, after 239 years, the temple’s Kumbhabhishekham (consecration ritual) was performed by the Tamil Nadu mercantile community Nattukottai Nagarathar.
The Uttar Pradesh government appointed a board of trustees to oversee the temple’s management beginning in 1983. Due to the violent rioting that followed the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992, there were restrictions placed on the Puja of the Maa Shringar Gauri Temple, which is located on the western side of the disputed Gyanvapi Mosque. Five Hindu women filed a petition with a Varanasi local court in August 2021 asking to be permitted to pray at the Maa Shringar Gauri Temple.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor Project in 2019 with the goals of increasing space to avoid crowding and facilitating movement between the temple and the Ganges River. Modi dedicated the tunnel in a solemn ceremony on December 13, 2021. According to a government news release, some 1,400 people who lived and worked in the corridor’s vicinity were moved and given compensation. It also said that around forty centuries-old, abandoned temples, such as the Shri Kumbha Mahadev temple, the Manokameshwar Mahadev temple, the Jauvinayak temple, and the Gangeshwar Mahadev temple, have been discovered and restored.
After an unidentified South Indian benefactor gave the temple 60 kg of gold in February 2022, the sanctum sanctorum was gold-plated. The biomaterials firm Phool.co recycles temple flowers into incense.
The Kashi Vishwanath shrine Trust stated in August 2023 that since the corridor’s opening in December 2021, 10 crore (or 100 million) visitors have come to the shrine.
Temple Complex
The temple complex is made up of several smaller temples that are situated next to the river on a narrow road known as the Vishwanatha Gali. Housed in a silver altar, the shrine’s primary deity’s linga measures 60 centimeters (24 in) in height and 90 centimeters (35 in) in circumference. There are shrines to many gods all around the main temple, which is arranged in a quadrangle. Within the complex are minor temples dedicated to Shani, Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha, Vishnu, Kartikeya, Avimukteshwara, and Kala Bhairava.
The Jnana Vapi, often written Gyan Vapi, is a little well in the temple that is known as the knowledge well. The Jnana Vapi is situated north of the main temple, and the jyotirlinga was concealed in the well to keep it safe during the Mughal conquest. It is stated that in order to keep the jyotirlinga safe from attackers, the temple’s head priest dove into the well while holding the lingam.
The inner Garbha Griha (sanctum sanctorum) is accessible through the Sabha Griha (congregation hall). The sanctuary houses the jyotirlinga, which is set atop a silver pedestal. The temple’s construction is divided into three sections. The first is a gold dome that rises to a height of 15.5 meters atop the temple; the second is a gold spire situated inside the sanctuary that is adorned with a trident and a flag.
The gold coating on the tower of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple has earned it the nickname “Golden Temple.” Three domes, each made of pure gold, donated in 1835, and one tonne of gold donated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh have both been utilized in the gold plating.
Every day, over 3,000 people attend the temple. There are times when the numbers surpass one million.
Along the Ganges River, between the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Manikarnika Ghat, was built the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor, which offers pilgrims a number of facilities.
Significance of Religion
One of the holiest towns in Hinduism is Varanasi, which is situated on the banks of the sacred Ganges river. Since the Kashi Vishwanath Temple houses the jyotirlinga of Shiva Vishveshwara, also known as Vishvanath, it is regarded as one of the most significant sites of devotion in the Hindu faith.
One of the several practices said to put one on the path to moksha (freedom) is taking a dip in the Ganges after visiting the temple. As a result, Hindus make an effort to travel there at least once in their lives from all over the world. After making a pilgrimage to a temple, it is customary to give up at least one desire. This pilgrimage would also include a visit to the temple in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, South India, where visitors bring back sand from the nearby temple and take samples of the Ganges water to pray at.
The Kashi Vishwanath Temple’s great popularity and sanctity have led to the construction of hundreds more temples across India that share its architectural design. Numerous myths describe how worshiping Shiva might deliver one from death and aimlessness (saṃsāra). When Shiva dies, his messengers carry his followers straight to his residence on Mount Kailash, avoiding Yama’s judgment. It’s a common notion that when someone passes away naturally at the Vishwanath temple, Shiva himself breathes the mantra of salvation into their ears.
One of the Vaippu Sthalam shrines, according to Tamil Saivite Nayanar Sambandar, is located there.
Celebrations
Rangabhari Ekadashi, or Phalgun Shukla Ekadashi, is observed as a festival of colors. Tradition has it that Baba Vishwanath returns to Kashi before to Holi, having taken on the appearance of Mother Bhagwati, a cow. The sound of several damroos (two-sided drums) drumming can be heard throughout the temple complex. We have been carrying out this custom for more than 200 years. They perform Baba’s Tilak on Vasant Panchami. The marriage of Shivaratri and the departure of Parvati and her husband Shiva are commemorated on Rangbhari Ekadashi. For more than a century, the temple’s former Mahant family has upheld these customs.
The home of Kulpati Tiwari, the former Mahant of the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Redzone, is where Baba’s marriage wedding ceremonies are carried out. Baba Vishwanath conducted the Saptarishi Aarti’s seven ceremonies. The Puranic legend states that Kashi is the object of the Saptarishi’s devotion, and as such, the marriage rites are performed by the devotees of the Saptarishi Aarti. The marriage was consummated in accordance with Vedic ceremonies by the seven archaks, led by Pradhan Archak Pandit Shashibhushan Tripathi (Guddu Maharaj). At 3:30 am, Mangala Aarti, 12:00 pm, 7:30 pm, and 11:00 pm, respectively, are performed, along with Bhog Aarti and Shringar Aarti.
For ninety years, beginning in 1932, the Yadav community of Kashi, affiliated with the Chandravanshi Gop Seva Samiti and the Shree Krishna Yadav Mahasabha, has been conducting jalabhishek on a shivling in accordance with tradition.
Transportation and lodging
Benaras may be reached by air, land, or sea transportation routes. The distance between the temple complex and Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport is around 25 km and 22 km, respectively. The Varanasi cantonment station and the Kashi railway station are the city’s two railway stations.
There are two bus terminals in the city: the Cantonment (Cantt) bus terminal and the Golgadda bus terminal, also known as Kashi Depot. Buses for both depots are managed by the Cantonment terminal. Two-wheelers (34%) automobiles (20%), cycles (16%), pedestrians (14%), four-wheelers (6%), cycle rickshaws (6%), and other miscellaneous vehicles (4%), make up the vast majority of the vehicles in the urban transportation system.
A guest house managed by the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust is among the several dharmshalas, guest rooms that may be hired, and other hotels and lodges that are available in the vicinity at varying costs.
