Uttar Pradesh · North
Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Golden Temple · Vishwanath Jyotirlinga
Kashi Vishwanath stands on the Ganga's western bank in Varanasi, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva and rebuilt in its present Nagara form in 1780 by the Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar after repeated demolitions under the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal rule. Maharaja Ranjit Singh later gifted roughly 800 kilograms of gold to plate its shikharas, giving it the name Golden Temple. The 2021 Kashi Vishwanath Corridor cleared centuries of congested lanes to open a direct processional route from the sanctum to the Ganga ghats, revealing older shrines and inscriptions in the process. Set in Kashi, regarded as the most sacred of Hindu cities, the temple anchors the belief that dying or worshipping here grants moksha, and remains the fulcrum of Varanasi's daily ritual life.
Art & Architecture
- Gold-plated shikhara (800kg gold donated by Ranjit Singh)
- Ahilyabai Holkar's 1780 Maratha-era reconstruction
- Adjacent Gyanvapi complex and narrow ghat-facing lanes
- New Kashi Vishwanath Corridor (2021) linking temple to Ganga ghats
Best Season
Festivals
Maha Shivaratri · Dev Deepawali · Ganga Mahotsav
Journeys Featuring This Temple
Planning your visit
Nearby
Guesthouses and dharamshalas near the temple often take walk-ins. Confirm a single-occupancy rate when you call.
- Ganpati Guest House240 m
On the ghats a few minutes' walk from the temple, with Ganga-view rooms and its own rooftop restaurant.
Checked by us
- Palace on Ganges2.6 km
Heritage hotel at Assi Ghat (B-1/158), the quieter end of the riverfront; Ganges-view rooms.
Checked by us
- Monu Family Guesthouse80 m
From OpenStreetMap — not verified by us (2026-08-02)
- Shiva Inn120 m
From OpenStreetMap — not verified by us (2026-08-02)
- Radha Krishna Guest House200 m
From OpenStreetMap — not verified by us (2026-08-02)
- Hotel Alka240 m
From OpenStreetMap — not verified by us (2026-08-02)
Listings marked as OpenStreetMap are third-party data and may be out of date. Please confirm directly before you travel.