Shri
Kashi Vishwanath temple is one of the holiest temples in India and is one of
the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. The temple is located on the western
banks of the holy river Ganga in the city of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Lord
Shiva is also called Viswanath or Vishweshwar and that is why the temple came
to be known as Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
Legend
of the Temple
Legend
of the temple is related to the formation of Jyotirlingas or the radiant symbol
of Lord Siva. Once there was an argument between Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu
regarding the supremacy. They approached Lord Siva to find out the right
answer.
Then
Siva appeared in front of them in the form of a huge pillar of light and asked
them to find the end of it. Both Vishnu and Brahma started their journey. When
one went upwards to find the top end the other went downward. Even after
intense efforts, they could not find the end.
Lord
Vishnu came back to Lord Shiva and expressed his inability to find the end but
Brahma lied that he saw the end. Angry with the dishonesty of Lord Brahma, Siva
cursed him that no human being will worship him instead they all will worship
Lord Vishnu. Then the pillar of light has been divided into twelve parts and
placed at different places. One among them is in Kashi.
Manikarnika
ghat is an important place included in the pilgrimage to Kashi. This place has
an important place in Shakteya worship (worship of goddess). When Daksha
conducted a huge yagna, all gods were invited except Lord Shiva. As Shiva
married Sati, daughter of Daksha against the wishes of Daksha, he was angry
with Shiva. However, Sati took it as an insult and went to the Yagasala to
question this injustice.
There
Daksha insults his daughter and depressed with the act of her father Sati
committed suicide by jumping into the holy fire. Furious Shiva went to Daksha
and killed him. On the way, he is believed to have come to Kashi and spent some
time here. It is believed that he entered Kashi through this Manikarnika
ghat.
It is
believed that if a devotee can see the linga here, he will get salvation
History
of the Temple
Although
there is mention about this temple in many epics including Skanda Purana, there
is no written evidence to prove when the temple has been built for the first
time. The written history of the temple starts with the attack on the temple by
the army of Mohammed Ghory in 1194 CE. His commander Qutb-ud Din Aibak defeated
the king of Kanauj and destroyed the temple entirely. Then it has been
reconstructed by a Gujarati merchant from 1211-1266.
Again
the temple has been destroyed during the period of Ibrahim Lodhi and Raja Mann
Singh tried to rebuild the temple during the period of Akbar, the Mughal
Emperor. However, Hindus boycotted him as he allowed Mughals to get into
marriage with his family members. Later Raja Todarmal rebuilt the temple at the
original spot with the financial aid of Akbar.
Then in
1669, Aurangzeb destroyed the temple completely and constructed the Gyanvapi
Mosque at the place. For a long time, the temple has not been reconstructed. It
was in 1742, Maratha Ruler Malhar Rao Holkar attempted to demolish the mosque
and to construct the temple there. However, the plan has not been materialized
due to the resistance from the Nawab of Lucknow as Kashi was under their jurisdiction
then. Again in 1750, Maharaja of Jaipur planned to purchase the land there and
to reconstruct the temple. He too failed in materializing the dream.
Then in
1780, Ahilyabai Holkar, daughter in law of Malhar Rao Holkar constructed the
present-day temple near to the mosque. Later during 1828, a low roofed
colonnade with more than forty pillars was built by Baija Bai, the widow of
Maratha ruler Daulat Rao.
Rituals
at the Temple
The
temple opens at 2:30 am and the following rituals are conducted :
● 3:00
- 4:00 am Mangala Aarti is held
● 4:00
- 11:00 am General Darshan is allowed.
● 11:30
am - 12:00 pm Bhog Aarti is done.
● 12:00
- 7:00 pm Devotees are free for Darshan.
● 7:00
- 8:30 pm Sapta Rishi Aarti is held
● 8:30
- 9:00 pm Darshan is allowed.
● 9:00
- 10:30 pm Bhog Aarti.
● 10:30
- 11:00 pm Shayan Aarti.
The
temple closes at 11:00 pm.
How
to reach
By Air - Indian
airlines have a flight to Babatpur airport that is 22kms from Varanasi and
30kms from Sarnath.
By
Train - Varanasi Junction station 6kms from the temple. Mughalsarai station is
17kms travel to the temple. Maduadin station is closer with 4kms distance and
the Varanasi city station is just 2kms away.
By Road
- Varanasi is on the NH2 that is found on your travel from Calcutta to Delhi.
Rules
of the Temple
●
Devotees are not allowed to carry cellphones, cameras, metal items, cigarettes
and lighters into the temple.
● The
decent dressing is required.
● The
police conduct frequent frisking and devotees must oblige.
●
Footwears are not allowed.
How
to Reach
Nearest
Airport: Varanasi.
Distance
from Airport to Temple: 24.9 Km
Nearest
Railway Station: Kashi and Varanasi
Distance
from Kashi Railway Station to Temple: 4.9 Km
Distance
from Varanasi Railway Station to Temple: 4.6 Km
