The Kashi Vishwanath Temple lies on the bank of the holy river Ganga. Here, Bhagwan Shiva takes the form of Vishveshwara, meaning “ruler of the world.” The temple has one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva. Hindus believe one shall attain salvation or Moksha by dying in Kashi.
Table of Contents
Kashi Vishwanath Temple Story
After God Shiva and Devi Parvati married, they wished to settle in the “Land of Siddhas.” They chose Kashi.
King Divodasa was then ruling Kashi. He was an ardent devotee of God Brahma. The divine couple conveyed their wish to the ruler, but Divodasa refused.
Lord Shiva sent 64 Yoginis to convince the king. With the help of Brahma, Divodasa consecrated them permanently at the Chousatthi Ghat in Kashi. And so, the Yoginis couldn’t convince the king. Also, he performed ten Ashwamedha Yagnas and invited Lord Brahma to settle in Kashi forever.
At last, Bhagwan Shiva requested Shri Vishnu to convince Divodasa. Shri Vishnu enlightened the king with his Gnanopadesh. Realizing his mistakes, Divodasa went to Kailash and invited Shiva and Devi Parvati to settle in Kashi forever. And thus lord took the form of Kashi Vishwanath.
Why Is Kashi Vishwanath Mandir So Powerful?
Bhagwan Shiva played his divine game to make Kashi a holy and heavenly place. He chose Divodasa to execute his cosmic plan. According to the plan, as Divodasa denied requests of messengers of Shiva, he sent more and more. And Divodasa consecrated all the messengers in the Kashi with the help of Brahma. With this plan, all the heavenly bodies reached Kashi. For this reason, the city is very powerful.
With God’s mercy, today, the city has over 28 crores of Shiv Lings. Each LingLing is a representative sent by the lord. Therefore, every single devatha and devi associated with Lord Shiva has their presence in Kashi.
Why is Kashi Vishwanath Temple famous?
The Kashi temple is popular and famous for holding one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. When Brahma and Vishnu disputed supremacy, lord Shiva took the form of infinite light. Hindus worship this form of Lord Shiva as “Jyotir.”
There is a wide belief that Lord Shiva exists as Jyotir Linga, the light form in twelve places. One amongst them is in the Kashi Temple.
What is the story behind Kashi Temple?
King Divodasa consecrated every divine power in the holy land of Kashi. Upon receiving the invitation from the king, Lord Shiva settled in Kashi along with his Ganas and Rudras. Visiting Kashi is much more fruitful than visiting Kailash.
Why is Lord Shiva famous at Kashi?
Hindus believe that Lord Shiva whispers the OM mantra in the ears of those dying in Kashi. Souls liberate from cycles of rebirth forever. Also, it is believed that Kashi is located above the earth and under Lord Shiva’s protection. No natural disaster shall harm the place.
Who built Kashi Vishwanath Temple?
The Kashi Vishwanath temple was built during the 4th century. Unfortunately, the Ghurids destroyed the temple in 1194. Muhammad Ibn Sam built the Razia Mosque in its place. Later, during Akbar’s rule, Raja Man Singh rebuilt the temple, and Raja Todar Mal expanded its premises. But the Brahmins boycotted as their daughter married a Mughal ruler, Akbar. Controversies increased during Aurangazeb’s rule. He wrecked the temple and built the Gyanvapi Mosque.
In 1742, Malhar Rao Holkar, the Maratha ruler, rebuilt the temple. This Marathan ruler created the current structure standing in Varanasi. However, others like Baiza Bai and Sikh ruler Ranjith Singh expanded and rebuilt the temple. In 2019, the then PM Narendra Modi renovated the temple and its premises.
Kashi Vishwanath Temple Timings
The temple opens at 2:30 AM. Mangala Aarti is between 3 AM and 4 AM. Devotees shall have darshan till 11 AM after the Aarti.
The Bhog Aarti is performed between 11:15 AM and 12:20 PM. Again, devotees shall have darshan till 7 PM.
The Sapta Rishi Aarti starts at 7 PM and goes till 8:15 PM. After the Sandhya Aarti, the temple reopens at 9 PM.
The Shayana Aarti is between 10:30 PM and 11:00 PM. After the Shayana Aarti, the temple closes. You need to buy tickets to attend the Aartis.
The Kashi Vishwanath temple Varanasi timings change during festivals like Shiv Ratri, Poornima, etc.
Kashi Vishwanath Corridor
The Kashi Vishwanath Corridor project transformed the visitor experience of the holy place. Under the project, the Government of India removed the shops in the temple premises and created good connectivity between the shrine and the Ghats. The ghat roads were congested earlier, and pilgrims faced difficulties walking through them.
Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga
The word Jyotirlinga is from Sanskrit, and it means Light of Shiva. It is Swayambhu, meaning no human created the Linga.
Lord Shiva himself transformed into a Ling. The Swayambhu lingam constantly emanates powerful godly positive vibrations. At the same time, the other Lingas gain power from the poojas and rituals performed by humans.
Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga is also a Swayambhu and is extremely powerful.
How to reach Varanasi?
Varanasi has good connectivity by air, road, and rail. It has an international and domestic airport. It connects India’s major metropolitan cities and other global cities.
The distance between the Kashi Vishwanath temple and the airport is around 25 km. The Varanasi Railway Junction is at a distance of 4.4 km from the temple.
Kashi Vishwanath Temple Complex
Temple is in the shape of a Quadrangle. Small shrines are inside the temple for gods like Shri Vishnu, Kala Bhairava, Lord Muruga, Shani, and Parvati.
Significance of Lord Shani in Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Once, Lord Shani came to Kashi, consecrated a Ling, and worshipped Lord Shiva. The Ling honored by Lord Shani is the Shanishawar Ling. This new Ling was placed along with nine Shiv Lings in the newly constructed Kashi Vishwanath corridor. Persons worshipping the Shanishwar Ling will be free from Shani’s troubles.
I hope you liked this article on Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Do share this article with your friends and family on social sites.
