Kashi Vishwanath Temple: Manifestations of Shiva

The oldest and the holiest place among the Hindus, Varanasi, along the banks of the sacred Ganga is also considered as the cultural city in India. The river bank is dotted with numerous temples and shrines of several gods and goddesses.

According to the Rigvedas, Varanasi is the favorite city of Lord Shiva. So in his high reverence, the Kashi Vishwanath temple stands in its splendor. It holds one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva and attracts a large number of pilgrims to the site. The architecture of the temple is noteworthy and is also known as the Golden Temple, because of the gold used in the making of the tall spire and the dome. All devoted Hindus aspire to visit this site once before they die, for they believe that liberation from worldly thing can be achieved here.

[Also Check out the 12 Jyotirlingas Tour Package]

Location:

Along the western banks of holy river Ganga, lies the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh State, India. It is located 5 km away from the Varanasi railway station and is fairly close to the Banaras Hindu University. Varanasi is the oldest city in the country and serves as the center for the Hindu religion.

Who Built it:

The reference of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple has been made in the Hindu scriptures, as one of the prime Lord Shiva centers. It is believed that the structure was demolished and remade several times, the last person to reconstruct it was Maratha monarch, Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore in 1780. However, now the temple is managed by the government of Uttar Pradesh.

How to reach in Varanasi:

Varanasi, the cultural and religious capital brings forward a large number of devotees to the spot. It is made readily accessible through advanced transport network services.

By air: Varanasi is well connected to the major cities of the country by air, daily domestic flights run to and fro from here. Babatpur Airport is 22 km from Varanasi.

By rail: The location of Varanasi makes it easily accessible to the rest of the country. There are two railway stations in the city: the Kashi Junction and the Varanasi Junction/ Varanasi Cantonment. Mughalsarai, another station just 10 km south of Varanasi.

By road: many public and private buses and other vehicles run on the NH2 (National Highway), which connects Kolkatta to Delhi. Varanasi is also linked with NH7.

Best time to visit in Varanasi:

Varanasi experiences Summer, Monsoon, however the best time to visit is in between the months of October to March.

Summer:

It starts from April to June and is quite hot during the time, with temperature ranging from 32 to 46 degree Celsius.

Monsoon:

The climatic condition during the monsoon is harsh, it is hot and humid with moderate rainfalls.

Winter:

It is an ideal time to visit Varanasi during the winter season. The temperature ranges from 5 to 15 degree Celsius. The pleasant season starts from October and lasts till March.

  
Interesting Facts:

• Kashi Vishwanath Temple is the most popular temple among the Hindus, placed in the holiest Hindu place too, and the main deity is addressed as Vishwanatha or Vishweshwara, which means, ruler of the World.

• The temple has been demolished and reconstructed many times, the last was torn down by Aurangzeb and he started a mosque on the site.

• The temple preserves one of the twelve Jyotirlingams, it is considered very holy and believed that even a glance of Jyotilinga delivers liberation from Maya and materialistic entanglements.

• According to a legend, the Jyotilingam is basically a pointless reality, from where Lord Shiva appears, more like a column of light. 

• It is believed that originally there were 64 Jyotilingas, only 12 of them are considered holy. The 12 Jyotilingams are at Gujarat, Somnath, Malikajurna, MAhakaleshwar, two in Madhya Pradesh, Andra Pradesh, two in Maharashtra, Varanasi, Himalayas and in Tamil Nadu.

• The Kashi Vishwanath Temple holds the highest of Hindu spiritual values.The Manikarnika Ghat on the banks of the Ganges, close to the temple is considered as a Shakti Peetha, a holy place for worship for the sect called Shaktism.

• The temple complex consists of several other shrines, placed along a small lane called the Vishwanatha Galli.However the main temple is ornamented by the shrines of other gods. The temple has a 15.5 m high gold spire and gold dome, three domes made up of pure gold.

• Inside the temple is a small, well, called Jnana Vapi, it is believed that the Jyotilingam was hidden in this well, to protect from the invaders.

• Around 3000 visitors come to the Kashi Vishwanath everyday.

• There is a popular belief that Shiva himself chants some words of salvation into the ears of people who choose to end their lives at the Vishwanath temple.

Places of Interest:

• Visit the Temples, it is an obvious thing you will do once you are in Varanasi, enjoy the evening Aarti in the temple.

• The Ghats along the Ganges.

• Sarnath is near Varanasi, and it is where the Lord Buddha preached his first sermon.

[Explore Temple Tour Packages at IndianHoliday.Com]

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Varanasi: Tomorrow is the inauguration of The 18th Ganga Mahotsav at Rajendra Prasad ghat, which was being held in the city from November 24th  to November 27th 2012.

Chanchal Kumar Tiwari, divisional commissioner, informed that reporters that world-famous names in the classical and semi-classical fields are going to perform during this cultural event which has been organized for 4 days. Some of the names are Ratan Mohan Sharma, Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt, Bhajan Sapori, Banaras Hindu University, a group of the students from the faculty of Performing Arts as well as quite a few local folk artists.

Ganga Mahotsav in Varanai

At the same time, quite a few traditional sports events will also be organized such as Kushti at Assi ghat, Gada, Malkham at Rajendra Prasad ghat, Ganga Marathon (starting from Sant Ravidas ghat to Dashawamedg ghat), Boast race.

Ganga Arti in Varanasi

Along with this, various other events such as solo dance, group dance, folk-classical singing competitions, instrumental music etc will also be organized for the students of a number of schools at Sanskritik Sankul, Chowkaghat.

In the same line of Ganga Mahotsav, Ministry of textile, New Delhi is also organizing Gandhi Shilp Bazaar at Urban Haat (a 10-day fair), Sanskritik Sankul in the last week of November. Tiwari revealed  the prime motive of Shilp Bazaar is the promotion of handicraft as well as handloom products. People who are going to participate in this event are going to come from Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, Orissa, Bihar, Kerala, Bihar and so on. They want to come up such kind of a direct platform for the artisans so that they can talk to buyers and exporters on their own. Shilp Bazaar has sent invites to around 200 artisans, some of whom have received awards at state and national level. The ministry also has offered free stalls to 30 handloom artisans along with 150 handicrafts artisans.

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North India temple tour traverses the courses of these significant places which celebrate and preserve the art and culture of various socio-cultural beliefs and practices. Meticulously crafted temple tours to select destination in northern part of India is a quest to bring out the vibrant aspect of spirituality and art embedded in some glorious monuments and temples.

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Beginning your North India temple tour from Delhi gives you flexibility and variety of choice to cover some most significant places of worship and pilgrimage. Delhi itself is home to many temples dedicated to and serving different religious beliefs. Some of the important places worth mention includes Lotus Temple (The Bahá'í House of Worship), Akshardham Temple (Swaminarayan), Birla Temple, ISKCON Temple, Jama Masjid and Chhatarpur Temple.

Located a few hundred kilometers away from Delhi are Mathura and Vrindavan. These are the places around which lord Krishna was born and brought up. These destinations are major pilgrimage sites of Hindus. Place of interest in Vrindavan include ISKCON Temple also known as Sri Krishna-Balaram Mandir, Banke Bihari Temple, Madan Mohan temple and Sri Vrindavan-Chandra Mandir located some 145 kilometers away from Delhi. In Mathura places of interest include Dwarkadheesh temple and Govardhana Hill among others.

One of the major pilgrimage centers of international fame is located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab. Harmandir Sahib, popularly known as the Golden Temple, is the most sacred temple of Sikh community. The temple is popularly referred to as Golden Temple because of the gold plating on the upper floors of the structure.

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In Rajasthan, Pushkar is a major pilgrimage center of international renown famous for its annual fair. Brahma temple, situated in Pushkar, Rajasthan is the most prominent temple dedicated to the Hindu creator god Brahma. Just a short distance from Pushkar is Ajmer which is a major pilgrimage of Muslims. The Ajmer Sharif shrine is renowned for its secular character attracting pilgrims of all faiths.

Temple tours in India especially in the northern part, is incomplete without a visit to Varanasi. Varanasi is the most sacred pilgrimage site of Hindus. Considered one of the most ancient cities in world, the allure of Varanasi lies in its archaic temples and holy bathing ghats of Ganges. A boat cruise in the mythical river Ganges is a must to do thing in Varanasi.

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India is home to an array of religious beliefs, creeds and practices. To say that North India Temple Tour is the best way to experience religious fervor and Indian culture will not be an overstatement. With almost every religion practiced here in India, patrons of art and culture have seen to it that multitude of religious monuments dot the length and breadth of India since time immemorial. These places are memorial of the beliefs, culture and practices of the society and temple tours in India offer a window to let you witness the rich heritage of India in these timeless monuments.

To select from an array of tastefully crafted North India tour packages, feel free to visit the website of Indian Luxury Trains.

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