Skanda Purana
Kashi Khanda (Book 4, Motilal Banarsidass Tagare edition Vol 10-11; 100 chapters across Purvardha + Uttarardha)
Chapter 99 — Greatness of Sri Vishweshvara
Varanasi · Uttar Pradesh
Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Vishvanatha / Vishveshvara / Avimukteshvara
अन्य नाम: Vishwanath · Vishweshwara · Baba Vishwanath · Vishwanath Jyotirlinga · Avimukteshwara Linga
- 12 Jyotirlinga
- 7 Saptapuri
इस मन्दिर की विशेषता
- 12 Jyotirlinga
- 7 Saptapuri
01
मूल विग्रह
मुख्य देव एवं स्वरूप
Vishwanath (Shiva)
Jyotirlinga — one of the twelve self-manifested Jyotirlingas per tradition; seventh in the Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram order. The presiding linga is known as 'Avimukteshwara Linga' (per Agni Purana and Skanda Purana).
सम्प्रदाय: Shaiva
02
स्थल-पुराण
कथा, इतिहास एवं महत्व
Skanda Purana
Kashi Khanda
Chapter 98 — Departure unto the Pavilion of Salvation (moksha at Kashi)
Skanda Purana
Kashi Khanda
Chapter 39 — Manifestation of the Lord of Avimukta
Skanda Purana
Kashi Khanda
Chapter 26 — Description of Manikarnika
Brahmavaivarta Purana
Kashi Rahasya
Agni Purana
Defines Kashi as Avimukta — the place Shiva never abandons
संत एवं परम्परा
- Adi Shankaracharya — visited Kashi and composed the Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram in which Kashi Vishwanath is the seventh Jyotirlinga
- Maharshi Vyasa — author of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Ashtakam (confirmed independently by Bhakti Bharat and Stotram.co.in; closing colophon 'iti shrimaharshivyasa-pranitam')
- Sant Eknath — composed the Warkari Sampradaya magnum opus 'Shri Eknathi Bhagavat' (31 chapters; commentary on Canto XI of Bhagavata Mahapurana). First 5 chapters written at Paithan, remaining 26 chapters completed in Varanasi in 1571-1573 on Kartik Purnima; the completed text was paraded on an elephant through Varanasi streets
ऐतिहासिक घटनाक्रम
- 1194Original Adi Vishweshwar temple demolished during the invasion of Muhammad of Ghor — Hindi & English Wikipedia
- 1230Rebuilt near Avimukteshwara temple during the reign of Sultan Iltutmish — English Wikipedia
- 1447Demolished again by Sultan Mahmud Shah of Jaunpur — Hindi Wikipedia (absent from English version)
- 1669Demolished under Emperor Aurangzeb; Gyanvapi Mosque built on the site — Wikipedia, cross-verified
- 1740Maharaja Balwant Singh freed Kashi from Mughal and Awadh Nawab control and established a pure Hindu state — known as the 'Shivaji of North India' — Hindi Wikipedia
- 1780Present temple constructed on an adjacent site by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore — Wikipedia + official temple About page
- 1835Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Empire donated 1 tonne (1000 kg) of pure gold for plating the temple's dome — English & Hindi Wikipedia
- 1983Government of Uttar Pradesh took over temple management from the then Kashi Naresh Maharaja Vibhuti Narayan Singh under the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Act 1983 — Hindi Wikipedia
- 2019March 2019 — Foundation stone of the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor laid by PM Narendra Modi — India.com + GroundReport
- 2021On 13 December 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Phase 1 of the 'Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham' corridor; area expanded from ~3,000 sq ft to ~5 lakh sq ft / 50,000 sq m; 23 buildings including Yatri Suvidha Kendras, Tourist Facilitation Centre, Vedic Kendra, Mumukshu Bhavan, Bhogshala, City Museum, Viewing Gallery, Food Court; direct access to Manikarnika and Lalita ghats on the Ganga. — DD News (newsonair.gov.in) + India.com + GroundReport + YatraDham
03
नित्य उपासना
दर्शन समय एवं आरती
02:30 से 23:00 तक
Mangala Aarti03:00-04:00
Online pre-booking required; bookings typically open 15 days in advance, up to 90 days in advance
Mid Day Bhog Aarti11:15-12:20
Devotees advised to enter the temple 30 min before (10:45)
Saptarishi Aarti19:00-20:15
Performed simultaneously by seven Shastris
Night Shringar / Bhog Aarti21:00-22:15
Shayan Aarti22:30-23:00
04
दर्शन
दर्शन के प्रकार
General (Free) Darshan — 'Jhanki Darshan'निःशुल्क
Darshan from in front of the garbhagriha; queue wait mandatory. The temple trust officially calls this 'Jhanki Darshan' — the same process for every devotee.
Sugam Darshan₹250
Queue-less darshan with Shastri assistance, free locker, and Mewa Laddu prasadam
Sparsh Darshan₹300
Entry into the garbhagriha; touch the Shivlinga and perform personal puja
05
अनुष्ठान
विशेष पूजा एवं सेवा
- Rudrabhishek (1 Shastri)
- Rudrabhishek (5 Shastri)
- Rudrabhishek (1 Shastri) — Video Conference
For NRI / remote / overseas devotees
- Rudrabhishek (5 Shastri) — Video Conference
- Milk Abhishekam (5-21 litres)
- Akhand Deep
- Satyanarayan Katha
- Mahamrityunjaya Jap Puja (5 days, 7 priests)
- Twenty-Year Rudrabhishek Scheme (long-term)
- Sanyasi Bhojan Dainik
- Every Purnima Shringar
06
उत्सव
प्रमुख पर्व एवं उत्सव
Maha ShivaratriPhalguna Krishna Chaturdashi
Principal annual festival of the temple; observed as Shiva's marriage ceremony; at midnight a grand procession with drums travels from major temples to Baba Vishwanath
भीड़: Extremely heavy crowds; not for unprepared visitors; book accommodation 3-4 months in advance
Rangbhari EkadashiPhalguna Shukla Ekadashi
Traditional festival of colours 5 days before Holi. Tradition: Baba Vishwanath performs Mata Gauri's 'Gauna' (post-marriage return from maternal home) on this day, bringing her to Kashi for the first time after marriage. The Gauna procession starts a day prior from the Mahant's residence at 'Tedi Neem', carrying silver Shiv-Parvati statues on a palanquin to the temple. Vishwanath Gali is packed with people and colour. This is the ONLY Ekadashi dedicated to Shiva.
भीड़: Tradition continuously observed for 200+ years (per Wikipedia); culturally distinctive experience
Shravan Maas (4 Mondays)Shravan month
Specific shringars on the 4 Shravan 2025 Mondays: (1) 14 July — Baba's movable idol shringar, (2) 21 July — Gauri-Shankar shringar, (3) 28 July — Ardhanarishwar shringar, (4) 4 August — Rudraksh shringar. Shravan Purnima 9 August 2025 — Jhula (swing) shringar.
भीड़: Shravan 11 July – 9 August: COMPLETE BAN on protocol/special-request darshan. Mobile, bags, pens, metal items prohibited — leave at home (free baggage counters also closed during this period). 5 corridor entry gates: Gate #4 Nanduferiya, Silko route, Dhundhiraj route, Saraswati Gate, Bhairav Dwar/Lalita Ghat (subject to Ganga water levels). Arogya Medical Centre with stationed doctors.
New Year Period (late December — early January)
Annual high-pilgrim period; the temple trust suspends VIP/Sparsh/Protocol darshan from 24 December each year (per CEO Shri Vishwa Bhushan Mishra's announcement on 26 December 2025). Only 'Jhanki Darshan' (regular) available — uniform for all devotees
भीड़: VIP darshan bookings closed at New Year; only general queue darshan. VIP facility restored once crowd subsides.
Vasant PanchamiMagha Shukla Panchami
Baba's Tilak ceremony performed on this day
07
आस्था
मनोकामना एवं फल
Dying in Kashi grants liberation — the tradition of whispering Vishwanath's Taraka Mantra into the dying person's ear
स्रोत: Skanda Purana, Kashi Khanda, Chapter 98 — 'Departure unto the Pavilion of Salvation'; Agni Purana calls Kashi 'Avimukta' i.e. the place Shiva never abandons
Mahamrityunjaya Jap and Abhishek hold special phala
स्रोत: Mahamrityunjaya Mantra (Rig Veda 7.59.12)
Regular recitation of Vishwanath Ashtakam grants 'knowledge, prosperity, happiness, eternal fame' and finally moksha
स्रोत: Shri Kashi Vishwanath Ashtakam phala-shruti
08
जप
मन्त्र एवं स्तोत्र
- Shri Kashi Vishwanath Ashtakam (Vishwanathashtakam)Traditionally recited at the temple during darshan
- Dwadasha Jyotirlinga StotramPer shastra, daily recitation at any Shiva temple for 40 days is said to grant the fruit of physically visiting all twelve Jyotirlingas
- Mahamrityunjaya MantraEspecially chanted during Rudrabhishek and the Mahamrityunjaya Jap Puja
09
तीर्थाटन
समीप के तीर्थ एवं परिपथ
Shri Annapurna Devi Mandir15 मी
Goddess of nourishment for Kashi; mandatory darshan tradition with Kashi Vishwanath (Vishweshwar + Annapurna divine pair)
Shri Vishalakshi Temple200 मी
23rd of the 51 Shakti Peethas; site where Devi Sati's ear-ring fell; presiding deity along with Kala Bhairava
Manikarnika Ghat350 मी
Hinduism's most important cremation ghat; center of the 'death-in-Kashi = moksha' belief; corridor extends to this ghat
Lalita Ghat250 मी
Adjacent to the Nepali Temple; the Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor's Ganga Dwar opens here; best vantage to view the temple's golden spire
Kala Bhairava Mandir1 किमी
The 'Kotwal' of Kashi; tradition holds Kashi yatra is incomplete without Bhairava darshan
Central start and end point — Sankalp at Manikarnika to begin, darshan at Kashi Vishwanath to conclude. The name 'Panchakroshi' means Kashi extends 5 kroshas (~16 km) — confirmed by DrikPanchang scriptural derivation
150 मंदिर · 5 दिन
7th Jyotirlinga — per the sequence in Adi Shankaracharya's Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram (confirmed by DrikPanchang)
12 मंदिर
Kashi among the 7 moksha-giving cities (Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Kashi, Kanchi, Ujjain, Dwarka)
7 मंदिर
10
मार्गदर्शन
यात्रा एवं संपर्क
- पता
- Shri Kashi Vishwanath, CK 37/40,41,42, Bansphatak, Varanasi – 221 001
- हवाई अड्डा
- Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Varanasi (VNS)
- रेलवे
- Varanasi Junction (BSB) / Varanasi Cantt
- उत्तम ऋतु
- October to March — pleasant weather; February-March additionally good for photography with relatively manageable crowds
- हेल्पलाइन
- +91 6393 131 608 (Support / WhatsApp — Mon-Sat), +91 7080 292 930 (General Query — 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM)
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