Holiest temple Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi, UP


Golden Temple (Kashi Vishwanath) (Varanasi, India)www.tripadvisor.in
Kashi Vishwanath Temple and ghat. hubpages.com
The city of Varanasi or Kashi is located at the confluence of the rivers Varana and Asi with the mighty Ganges in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The Ganga takes the shape of a bow in this area. The name Kashi owes its origin to the Kasha tribes who inhabited the surrounding land. The city of Varanasi finds mention in the great Indian epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Kashi town is considered  as the oldest living city  as cited by  ancient Sanskrit literature for its 3500 year history.  Kashi Viswanatha temple  is the foremost holiest temple in India and every day tens of thousands of pilgrims arrive here  to worship the presiding  deity and to perform ''Thithi'' or Shartham in memory of their fore fathers The first Jyotirlinga is said to have been appeared out  of the earth's crust here and flared towards heavens in the form of a huge column of Agni (fire) as Shiva manifested his supremacy. The famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple was built here and it remains  a center of  Saivaitism- people who follow the cosmic dancer Shiva. Vishwanatha or Vishweshwara means the ruler of the Universe. 

Kashi Vishwanath Templeww.itimes.com

large proportion of Hindus believe that a pilgrimage to Kashi Vishwanath Temple (where after the traditional puja, the pilgrim collects the water 
 from the holy Ganges to be used in the puja in Rameshwaram Temple in Tamil Nadu) is  a must and part of the Samskara - meaning sacraments observed by the Hindu from the birth to the cremation ground  (from Garbhadana - conception to Antyeshti - the last rites). If you want to quit the Samsara Bandha or Bandham  in pursuit of worldly pleasure from a family bond or commitments Kashi is the right place to start with.  Lord Shiva - the all mighty and all pervasive power, will free one from the continuous cycle of births and deaths (reincarnation) and you can enter the Moksha (heaven) or attain Mukti (Salvation). Therefore, there will be no  birth here on and you will be as free as a bird without committing yourself to Samsara Bandham. 

Kashi Vishwanath Temple, UP in 1915.en wikipedia. org

The tradition has it the Hindus believe in 4 goals that are part and parcel of  mankind - pursuit of Artha - Wealth and Power; Kama - Cardinal pleasure; Dharma - Righteousness; Moksha - Eventual liberation of the Atma (soul) from the continuous cycle of lives (samsara) - birth and death, ever to live in eternal peace. In the above,  the first two are transitory, not permanent.

In the past centuries ago, the Hindu kings carefully followed Agama Sastras to build the rich temples. The presiding deities were invariably made up of gold lavishly adorned  with precious stones and diamond studded jewelry. Such practices invited trouble. At that point of time, Muslim invaders, scenting hoards of gold in Hindu temples raided them and took almost all the wealth for their war expenses, military raids, etc. Many of the Hindu temples from 1194 AD to 1669 AD,  razed to the ground by the Muslim invaders, were later rebuilt by the Hindu kings. Early records point  out that the original Vishwanath temple was raided and 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. It was Raja Todar Mal who  further re-built the temple with Akbar's funding at its original site in 1585.

The  Kasi Viswanatha temple was again destroyed in 1669 by Aurangzeb, the most treacherous Mogul ruler of Delhi (who killed his own brothers, imprisoned his sick father) and remnants of it can be seen behind the Gyanvapi mosque. During the reign of Mogul ruler Akbar, The present temple  was built by Ahalya Bai of Indore in 1776  and is situated on  the premises of Banaras Hindu University and managed by the Birlas. The unique  Sivalinga,  60 cm tall and 90 cm in circumference, is made of black stone and is housed in an altar made of silver. The unique feature is gold plated sanctum and 15.5 meter high gold spire and gold dome. There are three domes each made up of pure gold!!  The temple (Shri Vishwanath Mandir) was finally completed in 1966

Sandhya Aarti :- 7.00 to 8.15 (Evening). Shringara Aarti :- 9.00 to 10.15 (Night) and Sayana Aarti around 11 pm.

Kasi Vishwanatha temple  has several smaller shrines along Vishwanatha Galli near the Ganga River  are dedicated to Vishnu, Vinayaka, Saniswar,
Kaalbhairav and other Gods. Pooja protocol begins with  Mangal Arti at 3 am to 4 am and at noon Bhog Arti is done.  , Sapta  Rishi  Aarti is done from 7 am to 8.30 pm. Maha  Shivratri  is  celebrated, as in other Shiva temples across India, on a grand scale  each year witnessed by  thousands  of pilgrims.

According to the Hindu philosophy, the very name Kashi is  synonymous with Moksha or salvation and, it is believed,  taking a  dip in the holy Ganges is said to cleanse the soul and absolve one of all his sins and it is a way to pay obeisance to Pithroos - forefathers. Tradition holds that a devotee must give up desires, and pursuit of cheap worldly pleasures after a pilgrimage to Kashi. 

Along the banks of the Ganges,  there are eighty four bathing ghats  and several Therthakundas/ Therthakindams that are  believed to be here since the time of the Vedas. Varanasi Ganga Ghat, Kedar Ghat, Tulsi Ghat, Mansarovar Ghat, Panchaganga Ghat, Harish Chandra Ghat are some of the well-known ghats.  Great saints such as Adi Sankara of Kaladi, Kerala, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda, Goswami Tulsidas, Swami Dayananda Saraswati and Gurunanak holiest among holy temple.

Varanasi is well connected to the rest of the country by train and road. The Varanasi railway station is an important rail junction and connects to major cities across India.

Ref:
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashi_Vishwanath_Temple