Kashi’s Oldest Lord Shiva Temple

Kashi, a place of historical importance and the land of Lord Shiva, is situated on the western bank of the River Ganges and is home to one of the twelve Jyotirlingas in the world, Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple. The temple has survived the tests of time for centuries and still stands tall as a symbol of the long and great history of Hindu culture.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple, a temple dedicated to Lord Vishwera or Vishwanath, is a centuries-old temple with a fascinating story of its origin.

Legends have it that once, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma were arguing about whose powers were superior. To test this, Lord Shiva transformed himself into a ray of light and pierced the three worlds (earth, heaven, and hell) with a striking fast speed. He then asked Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma to find the endpoints of the light.

Lord Vishnu took the form of Vraha and descended downwards to find the end of the light, whereas Lord Brahma took the form of the swan and flew upward to find the other end of the ray of light. Unable to find the end, Lord Vishnu accepted his defeat, whereas Lord Brahma, in his arrogance, lied that he had found the end. The areas where the ray of light passed from are known as Jyotirlingas, and Kashi Vishwanath is the first point where the light passed from and the site of the linga in the temple is the location where Lord Shiva appeared on earth in the form of light.

The ancient text Kashi Kanda mentions the original constructor of the Vishwanath temple, King Vikramaditya. He built the temple around 2500 years ago and later the temple was renovated by King Harishchandra in the 11th century. Later, the temple was destroyed by Sultan Qutubuddin Aibak in 1194 CE, along with various other temples of Benaras. It was then rebuilt by Itutmish upon bribing by Hindu officials. 

Mahmud Sharqi again destroyed the temple in the mid-fifteenth century and was later rebuilt by the Mughal ruler Akbar. However, in 1699, Aurangzeb again destroyed the temple and developed the Gyanvapi Mosque in its ruin.

In 1777, Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar rebuilt the temple adjacent to the Gyanvapi Mosque. The Gyanvapi Well or the ‘well of knowledge’, which is believed to be the well dug by Lord Shiva himself to fetch water, is still present between the Vishwanath Temple and the Gyanvapi Mosque. In 2021, PM Narendra Modi initiated the Vishwanath Corridor Project to widen the lanes of areas surrounding the Vishwanath temple and make the place more spacious.

Devotees believed that taking a bath in the holy river Ganges and visiting the Vishwanath Temple is a direct path to attaining moksha. Saints like Swami Vivekananda, Goswami Tulsidas, and Guru Nanak, and others have visited the city to experience the divine spiritual experience the temple has to provide.

The temple and its rituals are nothing short of surreal experiences. Mangla Aarti (morning aarti), Bhog Aarti (mid-day aarti), Saptarishi Aarti (evening aarti), Shringaar Aarti (night aarti), and Rudrabhishek (morning) are forms of rituals and prayers that are performed every day at Vishwanath Temple at different times. Each aarti has its own significance and is attended by Shiva devotees in large numbers.