Varanasi is an ancient city in India famous for housing many Hindu temples. The city's ancient holiness makes it a sacred geography in Hinduism. The city's temples were erected at different times throughout the history of Varanasi by various kings, saints, monasteries, guilds and communities. The city is one of the largest collection of historic and newly built Hindu temples. Varanasi is an ancient city with deep spiritual roots and significance for the Hindus and it reflects this heritage in over a thousand temples.
No significant elements of temple buildings predating the Muslim conquest remain, though many temples have been rebuilt on the same sites. Many historic Hindu temples in Varanasi were demolished and mosques built in their place after the 13th-century, particularly in the reign of Aurangzeb in the 17th century.[4][5] Along with the destruction of Hindu temples in Varanasi, Aurangzeb tried to change the name of the city from Benares to Muhammadabad.[6] Sites such as the Kashi Vishwanath Temple / Gyanvapi Mosque are a disputed site, a source of claims and counterclaims of religious intolerance.[7][8]
In Skanda Mahapuran, there is a detailed description of Kashi's introduction, greatness and its divine nature. Kashi is also known as Anandvan and Varanasi. Lord Vishwanath himself had once narrated the story of its glory to Goddess Parvati, which was heard by his son Kartikeya (Skanda) while sitting in his mother's lap. Kartikeya later narrated the same glory to sage Agastya and the same story is described in Kashikhand under Skandpuran. There is a description of the dialogue between Vindhya mountain and Naradji in Kashikhand.
Kashi – Abode of Lord Vishnu (Madhava)
Kashi is mentioned in the world's most ancient text,
Rigveda - 'काशिरित्ते.. आप इवकाशिनासंगृभीता:'।.
According to the Puranas, this is the original Vaishnav place. Earlier it was the Abode of Lord Vishnu (Madhava). Where Shri Hari's tears of joy had fallen, Bindusarovar was formed there and the Lord was established here by the name of Bindhumadhav. In Kashi, Madhav is worshiped along with his Gopis, the name of this pilgrimage is Gopi Govind,
At this very place, Lord Shankar in the form of a Lingam and goddess Gauri in the form of an idol gave physical darshan to the cows together in the same idol. In this way, the tirth got the name Gopreksha due to the direct darshan of Shankar and Maa Gauri.
There is a story that when Lord Shankar got angry and cut off the fifth head of Brahmaji, it stuck to his goblet. Even after traveling to many places of pilgrimage for twelve years, that head did not separate from him. But as soon as he entered the limits of Kashi, Brahmahatya left him and that skull also got separated. The place where this incident took place was called Kapalmochan-Tirtha. Mahadev liked Kashi so much that he asked this holy Puri from Lord Vishnu for his daily residence. Since then Kashi became his residence.
Introduction to Goloka
Goloka is the abode of the Supreme Being, Lord Shri Krishna. Where Lord Krishna resides with his beloved and goddess Shri Radha Rani. According to Vaishnav belief, Lord Shri Krishna is the Supreme Brahma and his abode is Golok Dham, which is eternal. This world has been called Paramdham. Many devotees of God have imagined this world. It has been described beautifully in Garga Samhita and Brahma Samhita. This world is the best among Vaikuntha worlds, and this world is owned by Lord Shri Krishna himself. Not only does God reside in this world along with other Gopis, games and festivals like Raas etc. continue to take place daily. In this world, reaching Lord Krishna is considered the ultimate goal of every human soul.
Meaning - I take shelter of that Adipurush Govind who, despite being the Supreme Soul, resides in Goloka along with those famous arts (gopas, gopis and cows) in his own form, inspired by Anandchinmayaras.
Arrival of cows from Golok to Kashi
A story of Lord Shankar from Golok is very popular that Lord Shankar ordered the cows to go to Kashi, when he reached Kashi on the orders of Bholenath, Lord Shankar was pleased and appeared with Mother Gauri, Lord Shankar gave the cows the form of Lingam, and Maa Gauri gave physical darshan together in the same idol form in the idol form, thus the name Gopreksha came from the direct darshan of the cows by Shankar and Maa Gauri. And God blessed that in Kaliyuga, whoever sees Gopreksha will get the fruit of infinite cow donation, and the suffering will be destroyed.
It is written in Skanda Purana –
महादेवस्य पूर्वेण गोप्रेक्षं लिंगमुत्तमम् ।। ९ ।।
तद्दर्शनाद्भवेत्सम्यग्गोदानजनितं फलम् ।।
गोलोकात्प्रेषिता गावः पूर्वं यच्छंभुना स्वयम् ।। १० ।।
वाराणसीं समायाता गोप्रेक्षं तत्ततः स्मृतम् ।।
गोप्रेक्षाद्दक्षिणेभागे दधीचीश्वरसंज्ञितम् ||११||
Meaning - There is lord shiva’s very amazing linga in the east direction which is known as Gopreksha, this is a form of Ardhanarishwar in which Shiva himself in the form of linga, and goddess Gauri herself sit together in the same statue. Lord Shankar himself ordered the cows to go to Kashi from Golok, when they reached Kashi on the orders of Bholenath, Lord Shankar was pleased and gave them darshan along with Maa Gauri. Due to giving darshan to the cows, the name Gopreksha came to be known, and having darshan here gives the benefit of Donating millions of cows, and the marital troubles of men /women end.
present situation
Earlier, there was Gopreksheshwar Tirtha from Badrinarayan Ghat to the present Bundiparkota Ghat, but due to the construction done over time, its area started shrinking, due to the construction of new Pakkeghat, a part of Gopreksheshwar Tirtha became Lalghat and Hanumangarhi Ghat, and the remaining part got corrupted from Gopreksha Tirtha to Gau Ghat, And today it is currently known as Gai Ghat. But due to the importance of the scriptures, we should call it Gopreksha Tirtha only.
Kashi Vishwanath Temple: Kashi Vishwanath Temple is one of the most famous Hindu temples and is dedicated to Shiva. This is one of the most worshiped Shiva temple in Hinduism and has been mentioned in the Puranas including the Kashi Khanda (section) of Skanda Purana. The original Vishwanath temple was destroyed by the army of Qutb-ud-din Aibak in 1194 CE, when he defeated the Raja of Kannauj as a commander of Mohammad Ghori. The temple has been destroyed and rebuilt several times in the past 800 years and the existing structure was erected in 18th century.
Kaal Bhairav Mandir: Kaal Bhairav Mandir is an ancient temple of Varanasi near the main Post Office, Vishesharganj. Kaal Bhairav is believed to be the guardian deity of Varanasi.
Mrityunjay Mahadev Mandir: Mrityunjay Mahadev Mandir of Shiva is situated on the route from Daranagar to the Kalbhairav temple. Just beside this temple there is a well of much religious importance. Its water is said to be a mixture of several underground streams and good for eliminating several diseases.
New Vishwanath Mandir (Birla Mandir): The New Vishwanath Mandir, also called Birla Mandir, mainly funded by Birla family, was built as a replica of the old Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Planned by Madan Mohan Malaviya, the temple is part of the Banaras Hindu University campus, and represents national revival. The temple is open to people of all castes and religions. There are nine temples in the Sri Vishwanath Temple campus, including Vishwanath (Lingam), Nataraja, Parvati, Ganesha, Saraswati, Panchamukhi Mahadev, Hanuman, and Nandi. There are idols of Shiva and Lakshmi Narayana.
Shri Tilbhandeshwar Mahadev Mandir: Shri Tilbhandeshwar Mahadev Mandir is one of the oldest temples in Varanasi, located near Bengal Tola Inter College and next to the famous weavers colony of Madanpura. It is said that, here, Tilbhandeshwar Shiva Lingam increases by a nominal length every year. Besides Tilbhandeshwar Mahadev, Vibhandeshwar, Parvati, Bhairava, Ayyappan and other Hindu deities are visible here. This temple represents a unique combination of Malyali and Banarsi culture. Famous celebrations here include Mahashivaratri, Makar Sankranti, Shravan, Navratri, Ayyappan Puja etc.
Ratneshwar Mahadev temple is the leaning temple near the Manikarnika Ghat (the Burning Ghat). A lower part of the temple remains submerged into the river at times making it impossible to perform worship and rituals.[9][10]
Annapurna Devi Mandir: Annapurna Devi Mandir is located near the Kashi Vishwanath temple, there is a nice temple of Devi Annapurna, believed to be the "Goddess of Food". She is a form of Parvati. She is also known as Kashipuraadeeshwari ("Queen of Kasi").
Vishalakshi Temple: Vishalakshi Temple is dedicated to Vishalakshi (means wide-eyed) or Parvati, the consort of Shiva.
Durga Kund Mandir: The architecture of Durga Mandir is of a Nagara style, which is typical of North India. The temple has a rectangular tank of water called the Durga Kund ("Kund" meaning a pond or pool.) The temple has multi-tiered spires and is stained red with ochre, representing the red colour of Durga. The Kund was initially connected directly to the river thus the water was automatically replenished. This channel was later closed, locking off the water supply, which is replenished only by rain or drainage from the Temple. Every year on the occasion of Nag Panchami, the act of depictingVishnu reclining on the coiled-up mystical snake or "Shesha" is recreated in the Kund.[citation needed]
Vishalakshi Temple
18th century Durga Temple, overlooking the Durga Kund
Sankata Devi Mandir: Sankata Devi Mandir is situated near the Sindhia Ghat, there is an important temple of the "Goddess of Remedy", Devi Sankatha. Inside its premises there is a huge statue of a lion. There are also nine temples of nine planets near to this temple[citation needed]
In addition to Shiva and Shakti temples, some of the most important ancient temples in Varanasi are dedicated to Vishnu.[11]
Adi Keshava temple is one of the oldest temples in Kashi and is considered as the oldest temple of Kashi, The temple finds a mention in the Kashi Khanda of the Skanda Puranam. This temple is considered to be older than Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
Sankat Mochan Mandir: Sankat Mochan Mandir is dedicated to Hanuman. It is very popular with locals. It is the location for many yearly religious as well as cultural festivals. On 7 March 2006 one of the three explosions carried out by Islamic militants hit the temple, while the aarti, in which numerous worshippers and wedding attendees participated, was in progress.[12]
Bhojpuri Maai Mandir ("Mother Bhojpuri Temple") is a temple in which the presiding deity is Bhojpuri Maai, representing the Bhojpuri language. This temple is located in Jeevandeep Public School campus, Baralalpur, Varanasi, India.[17] There are around 150 million Bhojpuriyas in the world and they give Bhojpuri language the same status as their mother. It is one of the only temples in the world for worshipping a language as a god or goddess.[18]
In Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh state, one statue of Dhanvantari is present in the University museum.
Maharaja Divodas(Grand son of Dhanvantari First king of Kashi)
One Black stoned statue facing south is situated in a personal property of a Brahman family in Chowk area, varanasi. It's said that the Idol was found beneath the premises of that property when it was getting constructed and the Brahman couldn't figure out who it was hence decided to have it drifted in Ganga next morning, however same night lord came in his dream and introduced himself as KashiRaja Divodas and asked to remain his idol where it was found, hence he built this temple in his house and his successors are still serving the deity there. This temple said to be quite awakened and spiritual as the idol emerged on its own and it is a local belief that if someone worships here with all his faith, deity cures his illness.
Address- CK 14/42, Nandan Sahu Lane
Tulsi Manas Mandir: Tulsi Manas Mandir is dedicated to Rama. It is situated at the place where Tulsidas, the great medieval seer, lived and wrote the epic "Shri Ramcharitmanas", which narrates the life of Rama, the hero of the Ramayana. Verses from Tulsidas’ epic are inscribed on the walls. It is close to the Durga Temple.
Varanasi and its Hindu temples were a target for raids and destruction during the Islamic invasion and rule of the Indian subcontinent. Various Sultans and Mughal emperors demolished Hindu temples and built mosques in their place starting in late 12th-century, particularly between the 13th-century and 18th-century, such as in the reign of Aurangzeb.[4][5] The destruction of Hindu temples in Varanasi was widespread over time, with Aurangzeb even trying to change the name of the city from Benares to Muhammadabad.[6]
^"Varanasi". Archived from the original on 9 January 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
^"Varanasi". Archived from the original on 12 February 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
^ abWendy Doniger (2010). The Hindus: An Alternative History. Oxford University Press. pp. 537–538. ISBN978-0-19-959334-7.; Quote: "He [Aurangzeb] destroyed all newlybuilt or rebuilt Hindu temples and replaced them with mosques; in particular, he replaced the great Vishvanatha Temple in Varanasi and Keshava Deo Temple at Mathura with two great Aurangzeb mosques and changed the name of Mathura to Islamabad."
^ abDiana L. Eck (1982). Banaras, City of Light. Columbia University Press. p. 82. ISBN978-0-231-11447-9. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2017.; Quote: "Jayachandra was beheaded, his army was humiliated, and the forces of Muhammad Ghuri, under the leadership of General Qutb-ud-din Aibak, advanced to Varanasi. They sacked and looted the city. According to a Muslim historian of the age, they destroyed nearly one thousand temples in Varanasi alone (...)"
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