Jump to content

Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Coordinates: 25°18′38.79″N 83°0′38.21″E / 25.3107750°N 83.0106139°E / 25.3107750; 83.0106139
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Kashi Viswanath Temple)

Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Vishveshvara Mandir
Entrance to present temple built by Ahilyabai Holkar in the 1780.
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DistrictVaranasi
DeityVishveshwara or Vishwanath (Shiva)
FestivalsMaha Shivaratri
Governing bodyShri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust
Location
LocationVaranasi
StateUttar Pradesh
CountryIndia
Kashi Vishwanath Temple is located in Varanasi district
Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Location in Varanasi#Location within Uttar Pradesh
Kashi Vishwanath Temple is located in Uttar Pradesh
Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Kashi Vishwanath Temple (Uttar Pradesh)
Geographic coordinates25°18′38.79″N 83°0′38.21″E / 25.3107750°N 83.0106139°E / 25.3107750; 83.0106139
Architecture
TypeMandir
Creator
Completed1780
Demolished
Website
shrikashivishwanath.org

Kashi Vishwanath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. It is located in Vishwanath Gali, in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple is a Hindu pilgrimage site and is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines. The presiding deity is known by the names Vishwanath and Vishweshwara (IAST: Viśvanātha and Viśveśvara), meaning Lord of the Universe.

The original temple, called the Adi Vishveshwar Temple, was demolished by Mohammad of Ghor during his invasion of India. Subsequently, the template was rebuilt by Man Singh I and Todar Mal under Emperor Akbar. According to several historical accounts, the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb ordered the demolition of the Hindu temple in 1669.[1] Subsequently, in 1678, the Gyanvapi Mosque was built on its site,[2] but Hindu pilgrims continued to visit the remnants of the temple.[1] The current structure was constructed on an adjacent site by the Maratha ruler Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore in 1780.[3]

In 2021, a major redevelopment of the temple complex was completed, and the Kashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor connecting the Ganga river with the temple was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi, leading to a many-fold increase in visitors.[4][5] It has become one of the most visited Hindu temples in India, with an average 45,000 pilgrims per day in 2023.[6] The total assets of the temple, were estimated to be more than 6 crores in 2024.[7]

Legend

[edit]

It is believed that Varanasi is the first Jyotirlinga to manifest itself.[8] 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.[9]

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.[10][11]

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.[12]

Jyotirlinga

[edit]

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.[13][14]

There are twelve 'self manifested' jyotirlinga sites that take the name of the presiding deity; each is considered a different manifestation of Shiva.[15] At all these sites, the primary image is a lingam representing the beginningless and endless Stambha pillar, symbolising the infinite nature of Shiva.[15][16][17]

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.[9][18]

History

[edit]

Ancient and classical periods

[edit]

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.[19]

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.[19]

Nārāyaṇa Bhaṭṭa, in his book Tristhalisetu,[20] as well as Madhuri Desai describe that the temple centres around a repetition of destruction and reconstruction.[21]

Medieval period and destruction

[edit]

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.[22] In a few years[year needed], the Razia Mosque was constructed in its place.[23][24][25] 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).[26] It was demolished again during the rule of either Hussain Shah Sharqi (1447–1458) or Sikandar Lodi (1489–1517).[citation needed]

Mughal period

[edit]
Sketches by James Prinsep[27]
The Gyanvapi Mosque sketched as the Temple of Vishveshwur, Benares.
Plan of the Ancient Temple of Vishveshwar.
The dotted line shows the portion of the temple occupied by the present Masjid.

Raja Man Singh started rebuilding the temple during Akbar's reign.[24][28] Raja Todar Mal furthered the reconstruction of the temple in 1585.[29]

In the seventeenth century, during the rule of Jahangir, Vir Singh Deo completed the construction of the earlier temple.[30] In 1669, Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb destroyed the temple and built the Gyanvapi Mosque in its place.[31][32] The remains of the erstwhile temple can be seen in the foundation, the columns, and the rear part of the mosque.[33]

Maratha and British period

[edit]
Elevation of the present temple structure

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.[34]: 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.[34]: 85 

In 1785, at the behest of Governor General Warren Hastings, Collector Mohammed Ibrahim constructed a Naubatkhana in front of the temple.[35] In 1780, Malhar Rao's daughter-in-law, Ahilyabai Holkar, built the present temple adjacent to the mosque.[36] 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.[37] During 1833–1840, at the boundary of Gyanvapi Well, the ghats (steps by the riverside) and other nearby temples[which?] 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.[38] 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.[34]: 200 [39]

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.[40]

Post-Independence

[edit]

Since 1983, the temple has been managed by a board of trustees set up by the government of Uttar Pradesh.[41] 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.[42]

Prime Minister Narendra Modi 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.[43]

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.[44] 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.[45][46]

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.[47] Flowers from the temple are recycled into incense by the biomaterials startup Phool.co.[48]

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.[49]

Temple complex

[edit]
The original holy well—Gyanvapi is in between the temple and Gyanvapi Mosque
Ganga Dwara, Gateway of Corridor that connects Kashi Vishwanath Temple with Ghats of the Ganges.

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 60 centimetres (24 in) tall and 90 centimetres (35 in) in circumference, housed in a silver altar.[50] 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,[51] 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.[52]

Religious importance

[edit]

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] 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.[53]

It is one of the shrines of the Vaippu Sthalams sung by Tamil Saivite Nayanar Sambandar.[54][55][56]

Festivals

[edit]

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.[57] These traditions have been carried out by the erstwhile Mahant family of the temple for over a century.[58]

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.[59] 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.[60] 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.[61]

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.[62]

Transport and accommodations

[edit]

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%).[63]

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.[64]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Desai, Madhuri (2017). Banaras Reconstructed: Architecture and Sacred Space in a Hindu Holy City. University of Washington Press. ISBN 9780295741604.
  2. ^ Akhil Bakshi (2004). Between heaven and hell: travels through Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and India: an account of the expedition hands across the borders. Odyssey Books.
  3. ^ "Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple - A Brief history".
  4. ^ "With 10-fold jump in tourist footfall, Varanasi balances tradition and change". deccan herald. PTI. 13 August 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  5. ^ "PM Modi inaugurates Kashi Vishwanath Corridor". The Indian Express. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  6. ^ "3-fold rise in average footfall at KVT". The Times of India. 5 March 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  7. ^ "India's richest temples and their net worth!". The Times of India. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  8. ^ "History of the Kashi Vishwanath temple". The Times of India. 17 August 2017. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  9. ^ a b R. 2003, pp. 92-95
  10. ^ Saraswati, Saranyu S. (2020). Biological Decoding of the Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Notion Press. ISBN 9781649516336.
  11. ^ Achuthananda, S (2018). The Ascent of Vishnu and the Fall of Brahma. Queensland, Australia: Relianz Communications Pvt Ltd. pp. 36–37.
  12. ^ Matthew Atmore Sherring (1968). The Sacred City of the Hindus An Account of Benares in Ancient and Modern Times (First ed.). London: Trübner & Company.
  13. ^ Eck 1999, p. 107
  14. ^ See: Gwynne 2008, Section on Char Dham
  15. ^ a b Lochtefeld 2002, pp. 324-325
  16. ^ Harding 1998, pp. 158-158
  17. ^ Vivekananda Vol. 4
  18. ^ Chaturvedi 2006, pp. 58-72
  19. ^ a b Altekar, Anant Sadashiv. 1947 (second edition). Benares and Sarnath: Past and Present. Varanasi: Culture Publication House. Benares Hindu University.
  20. ^ Gokhale, R. (ed.). 1915. Tristhalīsetu of Narayan Bhatta. Pune: AnandashrmaMudranalaya.
  21. ^ Desai, Madhuri (2017). "INTRODUCTION: THE PARADOX OF BANARAS". Banaras Reconstructed: Architecture and Sacred Space in a Hindu Holy City. University of Washington Press. pp. 3–16. ISBN 978-0-295-74160-4. JSTOR j.ctvcwnwvg.4.
  22. ^ Satish Chandra (2007). History of Medieval India:800-1700. Orient Longman. p. 71. ISBN 978-81-250-3226-7. 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
  23. ^ Shin, Heeryoon (May 2015). Building a "Modern" Temple Town: Architecture and Patronage in Banaras, 1750-1900 (Thesis). Yale University. p. 4, 35, 38, 198.
  24. ^ a b Udayakumar, S. P. (2005). "Ramarajya: Envisioning the Future and Entrenching the Past". Presenting the Past: Anxious History and Ancient Future in Hindutva India. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-275-97209-7.
  25. ^ Bakker, Hans (1996). "Construction and Reconstruction of Sacred Space in Vārāṇasī". Numen. 43 (1): 42–43. doi:10.1163/1568527962598368. ISSN 0029-5973. JSTOR 3270235.
  26. ^ "The Legend and Legacy of Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga - historified". 8 August 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  27. ^ James Prinsep (1996). Benares Illustrated in a Series of Drawings. Vishwavidyalaya Prakashan. p. 29. ISBN 9788171241767.
  28. ^ S. P. Udayakumar (1 January 2005). Presenting the Past: Anxious History and Ancient Future in Hindutva India. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-275-97209-7.
  29. ^ Anand, Abhishek (29 January 2024). "Unraveling Gyanvapi's historical tapestry: 800 years of war and peace". India Today. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  30. ^ Pauwels, Heidi (23 March 2011). "A tale of two temples: Mathurā's Keśavadeva and Orcchā's Caturbhujadeva". South Asian History and Culture. 2 (2): 278–299. doi:10.1080/19472498.2011.553497. ISSN 1947-2498. S2CID 144492608.
  31. ^ Catherine B. Asher (24 September 1992). Architecture of Mughal India. Cambridge University Press. pp. 278–279. ISBN 978-0-521-26728-1.
  32. ^ Sengupta, Arjun (27 January 2024). "The temple that Aurangzeb razed: Evidence from history on Gyanvapi and Kashi Vishwanath". The Indian Express. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  33. ^ Vanessa Betts; Victoria McCulloch (30 October 2013). Delhi to Kolkata Footprint Focus Guide. Footprint Travel Guides. pp. 108–. ISBN 978-1-909268-40-1.
  34. ^ a b c Madhuri Desai (2007). Resurrecting Banaras: Urban Space, Architecture and Religious Boundaries. ISBN 978-0-549-52839-5.[permanent dead link]
  35. ^ Barclay Jr., George (2010). The Son Of Man. Bloomington, Indiana: iUniverse. p. 280. ISBN 978-1-4502-6689-5.
  36. ^ Menon, Vandana; Bikhchandani, Raghav; Laeeq, Humra (25 June 2022). "Somnath and Gyanvapi temples were rebuilt – long ago by Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar". ThePrint. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  37. ^ Matthew Atmore Sherring (1868). The Sacred City of the Hindus: An Account of Benares in Ancient and Modern Times. Trübner & co. pp. 55–56.
  38. ^ "Kashi Vishwanath Temple". Behind Every Temple. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  39. ^ Matthew Atmore Sherring (1868). The Sacred City of the Hindus: An Account of Benares in Ancient and Modern Times. Trübner & co. p. 51.
  40. ^ Trivikram Narain Singh And Ors. vs State Of U.P. And Ors. (Allahabad High Court 28 October 1986), Text.
  41. ^ Dumper, Michael (2020). Power, piety, and people the politics of holy cities in the twenty-first century. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-54566-2. OCLC 1145080849.
  42. ^ "Varanasi court issues notices on shared shrine petition in Ayodhya". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  43. ^ "North and South merged at this Altar". The Hindu. 27 July 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  44. ^ "PM Modi inaugurates Kashi Vishwanath Corridor". The Indian Express. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  45. ^ Verma, Lalmani (13 December 2021). "PM Modi to inaugurate Kashi Vishwanath corridor in Varanasi today". The New Indian Express. New Delhi: Express Publications. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  46. ^ A, Divya (14 December 2021). "Explained: What is changing at the ancient Kashi Vishwanath temple complex?". The Indian Express. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  47. ^ "God meets gold meets faith in 'PM's works' at Kashi Vishwanath Temple". The Indian Express. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  48. ^ "Exclusive - India's First Biomaterial Startup Phool.co Raises $8 Million In Series A Funding". Forbes India. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  49. ^ "With 10-fold jump in tourist footfall, Varanasi balances tradition and change". Economic TImes. PTI. 14 August 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  50. ^ "Cultural holidays - Kashi Vishwanath temple". Archived from the original on 8 April 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2006.
  51. ^ "Kashi Vishwanath Temple dome starts glittering with 23kg gold". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  52. ^ "Temple woes for Kashi Vishwanath corridor". The New Indian Express. 13 February 2020.
  53. ^ "Shri Kashi Vishwanath Mandir, Varanasi". templesofindia.org. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  54. ^ பு.மா.ஜெயசெந்தில்நாதன், தேவார வைப்புத்தலங்கள், வர்த்தமானன் பதிப்பகம், சென்னை, 2009
  55. ^ மூவர் தேவார வைப்புத் தலங்கள், Muvar Thevara Vaippu Thalangal, வாரணாசி - (காசி விஸ்வநாதர் ஆலயம்) Varanasi -Benaras - Kasi Vishvanathar Temple, 2-39-7
  56. ^ "வாரணாசி, 2-39-7, 6-70-6, 6-7-11".
  57. ^ "जब बाबा विश्वनाथ मां भगवती का गौना करा लौटे काशी, ऐसे उड़े रंग-गुलाल | rangbhari ekadashi celebrated in kashi vishwanath temple varanasi - Dainik Bhaskar".
  58. ^ "Kashi Vishwanath Dham project: 13 building owners refuse to sell property | Varanasi News - Times of India". The Times of India. 7 October 2019.
  59. ^ "काशी-विश्वनाथ कॉरिडोर के मुसलमान क्यों बेचैन हैं ?". BBC News हिंदी.
  60. ^ "मौर पहनकर निकले बाबा, लाल चुनरी में गौरा". Amar Ujala (in Hindi).
  61. ^ Karkar, S.C. (2009). The Top Ten Temple Towns of India. Kolkota: Mark Age Publication. p. 10. ISBN 978-81-87952-12-1.
  62. ^ "Yadav Bandhus Perform Jalabhishek Of Lord Shiva". The Times of India. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  63. ^ Kapur, Dr. Radhika (18 December 2023). "Significance of Culture and Religion in the City of Benaras". Researchgate.net: 5.
  64. ^ "Shri Kashi Vishwanath Official Web Portal". www.shrikashivishwanath.org. Retrieved 15 April 2023.

Notes

[edit]
[edit]