Kashi Vishwanath Temple: History and Lesser-Known Facts

Kashi Vishwanath Temple was built by Ahilya Bai Holkar, which is in the shape of a quadrangle and is surrounded by a slew of minor temples.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate phase one of the ambitious Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in the heart of Varanasi to the people on Monday, December 13. Kashi Vishwanath Corridor is part of a megaproject that is likely to enhance tourism in the historic city significantly. The foundation of the cutting-edge infrastructure encircling the historic Kashi Vishwanath Temple near the famed Dashashwamedh Ghat comes ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections early next year. 

The freshly built Kashi Vishwanath Corridor will be ornamented with Rudraksha, Bael, Parijat, Amla, and Ashok trees to disseminate the message of environmental conservation. Special efforts have been made to plant trees across the temple grounds and mandir chowk. Various structures for various religious purposes and facilities have also been built. Three passenger facilitation centres have been established at Vishwanath Dham, where devotees will be able to use services such as lockers, ticket desks, and stores selling puja supplies. 

On this occasion, the Varanasi district administration will distribute laddoos to 8 lakh homes in the city. The preparation for around 28 to 30 lakh laddoos has already begun. Depending on its size, each package would contain two to four laddoos. Along with the sweets, a brochure providing information about the spiritual significance of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, one of the country's 12 'Jyotirlingas' (Shiva Temples), will be delivered. 

Importance Of Kashi
 
Sadguru describes Kashi as a big human-machine with no inertia. Shiva is a yogi with a sacred connection to the number five. As a result, they built the city in the shape of a 5. Kashi's primary geometry aims to link the microcosm and macrocosm. As a result, they created 468 temples. There are 54 Shiva temples and an equal number of Shakti temples.

Everything in the universe is a component of the cosmos. Kashi's history may be traced back to 3500 years. In short, the city existed even before Athens built the groundwork for fame. In truth, this sacred spot existed long before Rome was a city and Egypt was created. The human body vibrates when the name "Kashi" is spelt correctly. In reality, the city is best defined as a location where the micro (human) may connect with the macro (environment) (cosmos).

Every activity had its location in ancient Indian towns. There is a dhobi ghat for washing clothing; there used to be a separate area for bathing, and there was a graveyard for the cremation of remains. In ancient Hindu literature, the city is known as Maha Smashana (a large cremation ground). 

• Sarnath is a town located near Varanasi. After attaining enlightenment, Buddha gave his first discourse.
• Kasi Panchakam, a homage to the city, was composed by Adi Shankaracharya.
• This city is notable for being the birthplace of at least four Jain Tirthankaras. Suparshvanath (7th), Chandraprabhu (8th), Shreyanshnath (11th), and Parshvanath (12th) are their names (23rd).
• In Kashi, Tulsi Das authored the evergreen Hanuman Chalisa and Ramcharitmanas.
• Kaal Bhairav is Kashi's guardian god. His picture is of a dog with a thick moustache, dressed in tiger hide, holding a sword in his right hand and the head of a demon in his left.

History And Importance of Kashi Vishwanath

Kashi Vishwanath Temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. The rest of the eleven Jyotirlingas are Somnath in Gujarat, Mallikarjuna in Andhra Pradesh, Mahakaleshwar in Madhya Pradesh, Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh, Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, Bhimashankar in Maharashtra, Triambakeshwar in Maharashtra, Vaidyanath in Deogarh, Jharkhand, Nageswar in Gujarat, Rameshwar in Tamil Nadu, and Grishneshwar in Maharashtra. 

The current temple is a little further away from the original location. Ahilya Bai Holkar built it, and Maharaja Ranjeet Singh of Punjab donated the gold for the dome. There are several shrines to various gods throughout the temple. The temple was built in the shape of a quadrangle. A slew of minor temples surrounds the structure. There are temples dedicated to Dhandapani, Vishnu, Sanishwara, Virupaksha, Avimukteshwara, and many more. Because of its significance, the temple receives around 3000 pilgrims each day. On rare occasions, the number might reach 100,000.

Centuries-long journey of Kashi Vishwanath

• – The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is mentioned in the Vedas & Skanda Purana. The fourth Khanda In The Skanda Purana is the Kashi Khanda, which has 11,000 verses in praise of Lord Shiva.
• – An Avimukteshwar Seal from 1000 BCE was found during excavations at Varanasi, indicating a structure that is at least 3000 years old.
• – There are records of a Kashi Vishwanath Temple constructed in 500 CE by Gupta King Vainyagupta. Chinese Pilgrim Hiuen Tsang describes a grand temple in 635 CE.
• – The temple was destroyed by an army of invader Qutub ud din Aibak in 1194 CE. A Gujarat based merchant rebuilt the Kashi Vishwanath Temple 50 Years after it was destroyed.
• – In 1450 CE, The Temple was again destroyed under the reign of the invader Ibrahim Lodhi. The temple was built again by Raja Todar Mal nearly 100 years later.
• – In 1699 CE Mughal Invader Aurangzeb demolished Kashi Vishwanath Temple and built The Gyanvapi Mosque over the temple, which can be seen even today.
• – In 1776 CE Maratha Queen Ahilyabai Holkar build a new temple next to the original temple.
• – In 2021, Varanasi MP Prime Minister Modi completed The Grand Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, which connects the temple with River Ganga.