Kashi Vishwanath Temple

It is believed that Varanasi is the first Jyotirlinga to manifest itself.{{Cite news |date=17 August 2017 |title=History of the Kashi Vishwanath temple |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/religion/religious-places/history-of-the-kashi-vishwanath-temple/articleshow/68206100.cms |access-date=6 December 2023 |issn=0971-8257}} According to the legend, it was at this place that Shiva (the Hindu god of destruction) manifested as an infinite column of light (Jyotirlinga) in front of Brahma (the Hindu god of creation) and Vishnu (the Hindu god of preservation) when they had an argument about their supremacy.R. 2003, pp. 92-95

In order to discover the origin of the luminous column, Vishnu took the form of a boar (Varaha) and tracked the column beneath the ground, while Brahma, who assumed the shape of a swan, scoured the heavens in an attempt to locate the apex of the column. However, both of them were unsuccessful in identifying the source of the luminous column. Yet, Brahma deceitfully asserted that he had discovered the summit of the column, while Vishnu humbly admitted his inability to find the starting point of the radiant column. Due to Brahma's deceit over the discovery of the origin of the luminous column, Shiva penalised him by cutting his fifth head and placing a curse upon him. This curse entailed that Brahma would no longer receive reverence, whereas Vishnu, being truthful, would be equally venerated alongside Shiva and have dedicated temples for eternity.{{Cite book |last=Saraswati |first=Saranyu S. |title=Biological Decoding of the Hindu Gods and Goddesses |publisher=Notion Press |year=2020 |isbn=9781649516336 |language=English}}{{Cite book |last=Achuthananda |first=S |title=The Ascent of Vishnu and the Fall of Brahma |publisher=Relianz Communications Pvt Ltd. |year=2018 |isbn= |location=Queensland, Australia |pages=36–37 |language=English}}

Hindu scriptures describe Vishweshwara as the sacred deity of Varanasi, holding the position of king over all the other deities as well as over all the inhabitants of the city and the extended circuit of the Panchkoshi, an area (the sacred boundary of Varanasi) spreading over 50 miles.{{cite book |author1=Matthew Atmore Sherring |title=The Sacred City of the Hindus An Account of Benares in Ancient and Modern Times |date=1968 |publisher=Trübner & Company |edition=First |location=London |author1-link=Matthew Atmore Sherring}}

The jyotirlinga is an ancient axis mundi symbol representing the supremely formless (nirguna) reality at the core of creation, out of which the form (saguna) of Shiva appears. The jyothirlinga shrines are thus places where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light.Eck 1999, p. 107See: Gwynne 2008, Section on Char Dham

There are twelve 'self manifested' jyotirlinga sites that take the name of the presiding deity; each is considered a different manifestation of Shiva.Lochtefeld 2002, pp. 324-325 At all these sites, the primary image is a lingam representing the beginningless and endless Stambha pillar, symbolising the infinite nature of Shiva.Harding 1998, pp. 158-158Vivekananda Vol. 4

The twelve jyothirlinga are located at Somnath 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, Triambakeshwar in Maharashtra, Baidyanath Jyotirlinga at Deoghar in Jharkhand, Nageswar at Dwarka in Gujarat, Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, and Grishneshwar at Aurangabad in Maharashtra.Chaturvedi 2006, pp. 58-72

The Skanda Purana contains a part titled "Kashi Khanda", while the Brahmavaivarta Purana includes a portion known as "Kashi Rahasya", both of which are dedicated to the city of Varanasi.Altekar, Anant Sadashiv. 1947 (second edition). Benares and Sarnath: Past and Present. Varanasi: Culture Publication House. Benares Hindu University.

As per the Kashi Khanda, there were a total of 1099 temples, out of which 513 were specifically devoted to the worship of Shiva. The scripture states that the Vishvanath temple was formerly known as Moksha Lakshmi Vilas. The temple housed a total of five mandapas (halls). The lingam of Vishwanath was situated in the garbhagriha (innermost sanctuary). The remaining four mandapas include the Jnana mandapa located to the east, the Ranga mandapa to the west, the Aishvarya mandapa to the north, and the Mukti mandapa to the south.

Nārāyaṇa Bhaṭṭa, in his book Tristhalisetu,Gokhale, R. (ed.). 1915. Tristhalīsetu of Narayan Bhatta. Pune: AnandashrmaMudranalaya. as well as Madhuri Desai describe that the temple centres around a repetition of destruction and reconstruction.{{Cite book|last=Desai|first=Madhuri|title=Banaras Reconstructed: Architecture and Sacred Space in a Hindu Holy City|publisher=University of Washington Press|year=2017|isbn=978-0-295-74160-4|pages=3–16|chapter=INTRODUCTION: THE PARADOX OF BANARAS|jstor=j.ctvcwnwvg.4|chapter-url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvcwnwvg.4}}

{{Main|Razia Mosque}}

The original Vishwanath temple, initially known as the Adi Vishveshwar Temple, was destroyed by the Ghurids in 1194, when Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad ibn Sam returned to India and defeated Jayachandra of Kannauj near Chandawar and afterwards razed the city of Kashi.{{cite book|author=Satish Chandra|author-link=Satish Chandra (historian)|title=History of Medieval India:800-1700|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qHnHHwAACAAJ|year=2007|publisher=Orient Longman|isbn=978-81-250-3226-7|page=71|quote=In 1194, Muizzuddin returned to India. He crossed the Jamuna with 50,000 cavalry and moved towards Kanauj. A hotly contested battle between Muizzuddin and Jaichandra was fought at Chandawar near Kanauj. We are told that Jaichandra had almost carried the day when he was killed by an arrow, and his army was totally defeated. Muizzuddin now moved on to Banaras which was ravaged, a large number of temples there being destroyed|language=en}} In a few years{{Year needed|date=May 2023}}, the Razia Mosque was constructed in its place.{{Cite thesis|last=Shin|first=Heeryoon|title=Building a "Modern" Temple Town: Architecture and Patronage in Banaras, 1750-1900|date=May 2015|publisher=Yale University|page=4, 35, 38, 198}}{{cite book|author=Udayakumar|first=S. P.|title=Presenting the Past: Anxious History and Ancient Future in Hindutva India|date=2005|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-97209-7|pages=99|chapter=Ramarajya: Envisioning the Future and Entrenching the Past}}{{Cite journal|last=Bakker|first=Hans|date=1996|title=Construction and Reconstruction of Sacred Space in Vārāṇasī|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3270235|journal=Numen|volume=43|issue=1|pages=42–43|doi=10.1163/1568527962598368|issn=0029-5973|jstor=3270235|url-access=subscription}} In 1230, the temple was rebuilt near the Avimukteshwara Temple, away from the main site, during the reign of Delhi's Sultan Iltutmish (1211–1266).{{Cite web |date=8 August 2024 |title=The Legend and Legacy of Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga - historified |url=https://historified.in/2024/08/08/the-legend-and-legacy-of-kashi-vishwanath-jyotirlinga/ |access-date=18 October 2024 |language=en-US}} It was demolished again during the rule of either Hussain Shah Sharqi (1447–1458) or Sikandar Lodi (1489–1517).{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}

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| header = Sketches by James Prinsep{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0uA_AQAAMAAJ |title=Benares Illustrated in a Series of Drawings |author=James Prinsep |year=1996 |isbn=9788171241767 |page=29 |publisher=Vishwavidyalaya Prakashan }}

| image1 = Temple Of Vishveshwur Benares by James Prinsep 1834 (cropped).jpg

| caption1 = The Gyanvapi Mosque sketched as the Temple of Vishveshwur, Benares.

| image2 = Plan Of The Ancient Temple Of Vishveshvur by James Prinsep 1832 (cropped).jpg

| caption2 = Plan of the Ancient Temple of Vishveshwar.
The dotted line shows the portion of the temple occupied by the present Masjid.

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{{Main|Gyanvapi Mosque}}

Raja Man Singh started rebuilding the temple during Akbar's reign.{{cite book |author=S. P. Udayakumar |title=Presenting the Past: Anxious History and Ancient Future in Hindutva India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XjkEERJrRdwC&pg=PA99 |date=1 January 2005 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-275-97209-7 |pages=99 }} Raja Todar Mal furthered the reconstruction of the temple in 1585.{{Cite magazine |last=Anand |first=Abhishek |date=29 January 2024 |title=Unraveling Gyanvapi's historical tapestry: 800 years of war and peace |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/gyanvapi-mosque-kashi-vishwanath-temple-row-asi-survey-varanasi-2494955-2024-01-29 |magazine=India Today |access-date=29 January 2024}}

In the seventeenth century, during the rule of Jahangir, Vir Singh Deo completed the construction of the earlier temple.{{Cite journal|last=Pauwels|first=Heidi|date=23 March 2011|title=A tale of two temples: Mathurā's Keśavadeva and Orcchā's Caturbhujadeva|url=http://tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19472498.2011.553497|journal=South Asian History and Culture|language=en|volume=2|issue=2|pages=278–299|doi=10.1080/19472498.2011.553497|s2cid=144492608|issn=1947-2498|url-access=subscription}} In 1669, Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb destroyed the temple and built the Gyanvapi Mosque in its place.{{cite book |author=Catherine B. Asher |title=Architecture of Mughal India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ctLNvx68hIC|date=24 September 1992 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-26728-1 |pages=278–279}}{{Cite news |last=Sengupta |first=Arjun |date=27 January 2024 |title=The temple that Aurangzeb razed: Evidence from history on Gyanvapi and Kashi Vishwanath |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-history/the-temple-that-aurangzeb-razed-evidence-from-history-9129714/ |work=The Indian Express |access-date=29 January 2024}} The remains of the erstwhile temple can be seen in the foundation, the columns, and the rear part of the mosque.{{cite book |author1=Vanessa Betts |author2=Victoria McCulloch |title=Delhi to Kolkata Footprint Focus Guide |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=acT9AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA108 |date=30 October 2013 |publisher=Footprint Travel Guides |isbn=978-1-909268-40-1 |pages=108–}}

File:Elevation of Kashi Vishwanath Temple 1891.jpg

In 1742, the Maratha ruler Malhar Rao Holkar devised a plan to demolish the mosque and reconstruct the Vishweshwar temple at the site. However, his plan did not materialise, partly because of the intervention of the Nawab of Awadh, who was given control of the territory.{{cite book |author=Madhuri Desai |title=Resurrecting Banaras: Urban Space, Architecture and Religious Boundaries |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KdD3MYnYey8C&pg=PA30 |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-549-52839-5 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{rp|2}} In 1750, the Maharaja of Jaipur commissioned a survey of the land around the site with the objective of purchasing land to rebuild the Kashi Vishwanath temple, which in turn failed.{{rp|85}}

In 1785, at the behest of Governor General Warren Hastings, Collector Mohammed Ibrahim constructed a Naubatkhana in front of the temple.{{Cite book |last=Barclay Jr. |first=George |title=The Son Of Man |publisher=iUniverse |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-4502-6689-5 |location=Bloomington, Indiana |pages=280 |language=English}} In 1780, Malhar Rao's daughter-in-law, Ahilyabai Holkar, built the present temple adjacent to the mosque.{{Cite news |last1=Menon |first1=Vandana |last2=Bikhchandani |first2=Raghav |last3=Laeeq |first3=Humra |date=25 June 2022 |title=Somnath and Gyanvapi temples were rebuilt – long ago by Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar |url=https://theprint.in/past-forward/somnath-and-gyanvapi-temples-were-rebuilt-long-ago-by-maratha-queen-ahilyabai-holkar/1009037/ |access-date=3 December 2023 |work=ThePrint}} In 1828, Baiza Bai, widow of the Maratha ruler Daulat Rao Scindhia of Gwalior State, built a low-roofed colonnade with over 40 pillars in the Gyan Vapi precinct.{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.217371 |title=The Sacred City of the Hindus: An Account of Benares in Ancient and Modern Times |author=Matthew Atmore Sherring |author-link=Matthew Atmore Sherring |publisher=Trübner & co. |year=1868 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.217371/page/n97 55]–56 }} During 1833–1840, at the boundary of Gyanvapi Well, the ghats (steps by the riverside) and other nearby temples{{Which|date=December 2023}} were constructed.

Many noble families from various ancestral kingdoms of the Indian subcontinent, and their predecessor states, made generous contributions to the operation of the temple.{{Cite web |title=Kashi Vishwanath Temple |url=https://behindeverytemple.org/hindu-temples/shiva/kashi-vishwanath-temple/ |access-date=3 December 2023 |website=Behind Every Temple |language=en-US}} In 1835, Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Empire, at the behest of his wife, Maharani Datar Kaur, donated 1 tonne of gold for plating the temple's dome. In 1841, Raghuji Bhonsle III of Nagpur donated silver to the temple.{{rp|200}}{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.217371 |title=The Sacred City of the Hindus: An Account of Benares in Ancient and Modern Times |author=Matthew Atmore Sherring |author-link=Matthew Atmore Sherring |publisher=Trübner & co. |year=1868 |page=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.217371/page/n93 51] }}

The temple was managed by a hereditary group of pandits or mahants. After the death of Mahant Devi Dutt, a dispute arose among his successors. In 1900, his brother-in-law, Pandit Visheshwar Dayal Tewari, filed a lawsuit, which resulted in him being declared the head priest.{{cite court |url=http://indiankanoon.org/doc/355412/ |litigants=Trivikram Narain Singh And Ors. vs State Of U.P. And Ors. |court=Allahabad High Court |date=28 October 1986 |access-date= 25 July 2015 }}

Since 1983, the temple has been managed by a board of trustees set up by the government of Uttar Pradesh.{{Cite book |last=Dumper |first=Michael |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1145080849 |title=Power, piety, and people the politics of holy cities in the twenty-first century |date=2020 |isbn=978-0-231-54566-2 |location=New York |publisher=Columbia University Press |oclc=1145080849}} The Puja of the Maa Shringar Gauri Temple, on the western side of the disputed Gyanvapi Mosque, was restricted after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992, due to the ensuing deadly riots that followed the demolition of the mosque. In August 2021, five Hindu women petitioned a local court in Varanasi to be allowed to pray at the Maa Shringar Gauri Temple.{{Cite web|title=Varanasi court issues notices on shared shrine petition in Ayodhya|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/varanasi-court-issues-notices-on-shared-shrine-petition-in-ayodhya/cid/1827373|access-date=12 December 2021|website=www.telegraphindia.com}}

File:The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressing at the inauguration of Kashi Vishwanath Dham, in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on December 13, 2021 (105966).jpg speaking at the inauguration of the renovated Kashi Vishwanath Corridor on 13 December 2021.]]

After 239 years, the Kumbhabhishekham (consecration ceremony) of the temple was held on 5 July 2018, which was conducted by Nattukottai Nagarathar, a mercantile community of Tamil Nadu.{{cite news |title=North and South merged at this Altar |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/north-and-south-merged-at-this-altar/article24527959.ece |work=The Hindu |date=27 July 2018 |access-date=12 August 2024}}

The Kashi Vishwanath Corridor Project was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 to make it easier to travel between the temple and the Ganges River and to create more space to prevent crowding. On 13 December 2021, Modi inaugurated the corridor with a sacred ceremony.{{Cite web |title=PM Modi inaugurates Kashi Vishwanath Corridor |url=https://indianexpress.com/photos/india-news/pm-modi-inaugurates-kashi-vishwanath-corridor-7670093/ |access-date=28 August 2022 |website=The Indian Express |date=14 February 2022 |language=en}} A press release by the government said that around 1,400 residents and businesses within the corridor's area were relocated elsewhere and compensated. It also said that more than 40 ruined, centuries-old temples were found and rebuilt, including the Gangeshwar Mahadev temple, the Manokameshwar Mahadev temple, the Jauvinayak temple, and the Shri Kumbha Mahadev temple.{{cite news|last=Verma|first=Lalmani|date=13 December 2021|title=PM Modi to inaugurate Kashi Vishwanath corridor in Varanasi today|language=|pages=|newspaper=The New Indian Express|publisher=Express Publications|location=New Delhi|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/pm-modi-to-inaugurate-kashi-vishwanath-corridor-in-varanasi-7669259/|access-date=13 December 2021}}{{cite web|last1=A|first1=Divya|title=Explained: What is changing at the ancient Kashi Vishwanath temple complex?|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/kashi-vishwanath-temple-narendra-modi-varanasi-7669709/|access-date=14 December 2021|website=The Indian Express| date=14 December 2021 }}

In February 2022, the sanctum sanctorum of the temple was gold-plated after an anonymous donor from South India donated 60 kg of gold to the temple.{{Cite web |date=4 March 2022 |title=God meets gold meets faith in 'PM's works' at Kashi Vishwanath Temple |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/kashi-vishwanath-temple-narendra-modi-visit-gold-7799966/ |access-date=5 March 2022 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}} Flowers from the temple are recycled into incense by the biomaterials startup Phool.co.{{Cite web |title=Exclusive - India's First Biomaterial Startup Phool.co Raises $8 Million In Series A Funding |url=https://www.forbesindia.com/article/startups/exclusive-indias-first-biomaterial-startup-phoolco-raises-8-million-in-series-a-funding/75005/1 |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=Forbes India |language=en}}

As of August 2023, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust reported that 10 crore (100 million) tourists had visited the temple since the inauguration of the corridor in December 2021.{{cite news |title=With 10-fold jump in tourist footfall, Varanasi balances tradition and change |url=https://travel.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/destination/states/with-10-fold-jump-in-tourist-footfall-varanasi-balances-tradition-and-change/102702701 |work=Economic TImes |agency=PTI |date=14 August 2023 |access-date=31 January 2024}}

File:Benares well.jpg]]

File:Ganga Dwar, Gateway of Corridor of Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi 2.webp

The temple complex consists of a series of smaller shrines located in a small lane called the Vishwanatha Gali, near the river. The linga of the main deity at the shrine is {{convert|60|cm}} tall and {{convert|90|cm}} in circumference, housed in a silver altar.{{cite web

|url = http://www.cultureholidays.com/Temples/kashi.htm

|title = Cultural holidays - Kashi Vishwanath temple

|access-date = 17 November 2006

|archive-date = 8 April 2017

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170408111550/http://www.cultureholidays.com/Temples/kashi.htm

|url-status = dead

}} The main temple is a quadrangle, and there are shrines to other gods all around it. There are small temples for Kala Bhairava, Kartikeya, Avimukteshwara, Vishnu, Ganesha, Shani, Shiva, and Parvati in the complex.

There is a small well in the temple called the Jnana Vapi, also spelled Gyan Vapi (the wisdom well). The Jnana Vapi is located to the north of the main temple, and during the invasion by the Mughals, the jyotirlinga was hidden in the well to protect it. It is said that the main priest of the temple jumped in the well with the lingam in order to protect the jyotirlinga from invaders.

There is a Sabha Griha (congregation hall) leading to the inner Garbha Griha (sanctum sanctorum). The jyotirlinga is enshrined in the sanctuary and placed on a silver platform. The structure of the temple is composed of three parts. The first consists of a 15.5-meter-high spire on the temple; the second is a gold dome; and the third is the gold spire within the sanctuary bearing a flag and a trident.

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is popularly known as the Golden Temple, due to the gold plating of its spire. One tonne of gold donated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh has been used in the gold plating,{{Cite news |title=Kashi Vishwanath Temple dome starts glittering with 23kg gold |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/kashi-vishwanath-temple-dome-starts-glittering-with-23kg-gold/articleshow/92071914.cms |access-date=10 February 2024 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}} as well as in three domes, each made up of pure gold, donated in 1835.

The temple receives around 3,000 visitors every day. On certain occasions, the numbers reach 1,000,000 or more.

The Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor was constructed between Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Manikarnika Ghat along the Ganges River, providing various amenities for pilgrims.{{Cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2020/feb/13/temple-woes-for-kashi-vishwanath-corridor-2102687.html|title=Temple woes for Kashi Vishwanath corridor|website=The New Indian Express|date=13 February 2020 }}

Located on the banks of the holy river Ganges, Varanasi is regarded as among the holiest of the Hindu cities. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is widely recognised as one of the most important places of worship in the Hindu religion, because the it holds the jyotirlinga of Shiva Vishveshwara, or Vishvanath.

A visit to the temple and a bath in the Ganges is one of many methods believed to lead one on a path to moksha (liberation). Thus, Hindus from all over the world try to visit the place at least once in their lifetime. There is also a tradition that one should give up at least one desire after a pilgrimage to the temple, and the pilgrimage would also include a visit to the temple at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu in South India, to which people take water samples of the Ganges to perform prayer there and bring back sand from near that temple.

Because of the immense popularity and holiness of Kashi Vishwanath Temple, hundreds of temples across India have been built in the same architectural style. Many legends tell of the true devotee achieving freedom from death and saṃsāra (aimlessness) by the worship of Shiva, Shiva's devotees upon death being directly taken to his abode on Mount Kailash by his messengers and not to judgement by Yama.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} There is a popular belief that Shiva himself blows the mantra of salvation into the ears of people who die naturally at the Vishwanath temple.{{Cite web |title=Shri Kashi Vishwanath Mandir, Varanasi |url=https://templesofindia.org/temple-view/shri-kashi-vishwanath-purana-mandir-varanasi-uttar-pradesh-266mzg |access-date=20 May 2022 |website=templesofindia.org |language=en}}

It is one of the shrines of the Vaippu Sthalams sung by Tamil Saivite Nayanar Sambandar.பு.மா.ஜெயசெந்தில்நாதன், தேவார வைப்புத்தலங்கள், வர்த்தமானன் பதிப்பகம், சென்னை, 2009[https://shaivam.org/hindu-hub/temples/place/463/vaaranasi-viswanathar-temple மூவர் தேவார வைப்புத் தலங்கள், Muvar Thevara Vaippu Thalangal, வாரணாசி - (காசி விஸ்வநாதர் ஆலயம்) Varanasi -Benaras - Kasi Vishvanathar Temple, 2-39-7]{{Cite web|url=http://www.shivatemples.com/vt/vt_kovil3/vt138.php|title=வாரணாசி, 2-39-7, 6-70-6, 6-7-11}}

Phalgun Shukla Ekadashi is celebrated as Rangabhari Ekadashi, that is, a festival of colours. According to tradition, before Holi, Baba Vishwanath comes back to Kashi after having a cow in the form of Mother Bhagwati. The temple complex echoes with the beating of dozens of damroos (two-sided drums). This tradition has been performed for over 200 years. On Vasant Panchami, Baba's Tilak is performed. There is Shivaratri's marriage, and Rangbhari Ekadashi marks Parvati leaving with her husband Shiva.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bhaskar.com/news/UP-VAR-rangbhari-ekadashi-celebrated-in-kashi-vishwanath-temple-varanasi-news-hindi-5546329-PHO.html|title=जब बाबा विश्वनाथ मां भगवती का गौना करा लौटे काशी, ऐसे उड़े रंग-गुलाल|work=Dainik Bhaskar |date=8 March 2017 }} These traditions have been carried out by the erstwhile Mahant family of the temple for over a century.{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/kv-dham-project-13-building-owners-refuse-to-sell-property/articleshow/71469345.cms|title = Kashi Vishwanath Dham project: 13 building owners refuse to sell property | Varanasi News - Times of India|website = The Times of India| date=7 October 2019 }}

These rituals of Baba's marriage ceremony are performed at the residence of Kulpati Tiwari, the erstwhile Mahant of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Redzone.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/hindi/india-48308011|title = काशी-विश्वनाथ कॉरिडोर के मुसलमान क्यों बेचैन हैं ?|newspaper = BBC News हिंदी}} The seven rituals of Saptarishi Aarti were performed by Baba Vishwanath. According to the Puranas, Kashi is beloved by the Saptarishi; so, according to the tradition, the devotees of the Saptarishi Aarti perform the rituals of marriage. The seven archaks under the leadership of Pradhan Archak Pandit Shashibhushan Tripathi (Guddu Maharaj) completed the marriage in Vedic rituals.{{Cite web|url=https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/varanasi/111518554800-varanasi-news|title=मौर पहनकर निकले बाबा, लाल चुनरी में गौरा|website=Amar Ujala|language=hi}} Mangala Aarti is performed at 3:30 am, Bhog Aarti at 12:00 pm, Saptarishi Aarti at 7:30 pm and Shringar Aarti at 11:00 pm.{{cite book|last=Karkar|first=S.C.|title=The Top Ten Temple Towns of India|publisher=Mark Age Publication|year=2009|isbn=978-81-87952-12-1|location=Kolkota|page=10}}

The Yadav community of Kashi associated with Chandravanshi Gop Seva Samiti and Shree Krishna Yadav Mahasabha have been performing jalabhishek on a shivling, traditionally for 90 years, starting in 1932.{{cite news |title=Yadav Bandhus Perform Jalabhishek Of Lord Shiva |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/yadav-bandhus-perform-jalabhishek-of-lord-shiva/articleshow/92968938.cms |access-date=20 July 2022 |work=The Times of India |date=19 July 2022 |language=en}}

There are transportation options for getting to Benaras by air, land, and water. Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport is located roughly 22 kilometres from the city centre and approximately 25 km from the temple complex. There are two railway stations in the city, namely Varanasi Cantonment Station and Kashi Railway Station.

The city has two bus terminals: one located at the Cantonment (Cantt) and another at Golgadda, commonly referred to as Kashi Depot. The Cantonment terminal manages buses for both depots. The urban transportation system comprises many types of vehicles, including two-wheelers (34%), autos (20%), cycles (16%), pedestrians (14%), four-wheelers (6%), cycle rickshaws (6%), and other miscellaneous vehicles (4%).{{Cite journal |last=Kapur |first=Dr. Radhika |date=18 December 2023 |title=Significance of Culture and Religion in the City of Benaras |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324726535 |website=Researchgate.net |pages=5}}

There are various dharmshalas, rented guest rooms, and other hotels and lodges available nearby at various prices, including a guest house run by the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust.{{Cite web |title=Shri Kashi Vishwanath Official Web Portal |url=https://www.shrikashivishwanath.org/ |access-date=15 April 2023 |website=www.shrikashivishwanath.org}}

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• {{Commons category-inline|Kashi Vishwanath Temple}}
• [http://www.shrikashivishwanath.org/ Kashi Vishwanath Temple] – official website
• [http://varanasi.nic.in/temple/kashi.html Shri Kashi Vishwanath Mandir, Varanasi]

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