Kashi Vishwanath Temple

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi is the most sacred Shiva temple in Hinduism and one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Located in the heart of the ancient city on the western bank of the Ganga, the temple has been destroyed and rebuilt multiple times over millennia. The current structure was built in 1780 by Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore, and the golden spire covered in over 800 kg of gold was donated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab. Hindu tradition holds that death in Kashi grants moksha because Shiva himself whispers the Taraka mantra into the ear of the dying. The Kashi Vishwanath Corridor completed between 2019 and 2023 created a grand promenade connecting the temple to the Ganga ghats. The daily Bhasma Aarti before dawn is among the most spiritually intense rituals in India.