ShivaJyotirlinga 9 of 12Sapta Puri

Kashi Vishwanath, Varanasi

श्री काशी विश्वनाथ, वाराणसी

📍 Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

In Varanasi, the city older than history, Kashi Vishwanath is Shiva as Lord of the Universe. Tradition holds that those who leave their body in Kashi receive moksha.

इतिहास से भी पुरानी काशी में विश्व के नाथ — मान्यता है कि काशी में देह त्यागने वाले को मोक्ष मिलता है।

इतिहास History

A temple of Vishwanath has stood on the western bank of the Ganga for ages and was destroyed several times. Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore built the present temple in 1780, and in 1835 Maharaja Ranjit Singh gave the gold that plates its spires.

The Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor opened in December 2021. It links the temple directly to the Ganga ghats.

कथा The legend

When Brahma and Vishnu argued over who was greater, Shiva appeared as an endless pillar of light, the first jyotirlinga. Kashi is said to rest on the tip of Shiva's trident, untouched even by the great dissolution.