Temples tour of Varanasi is mostly opted by devout devotees of Lord Shiva. Though Varanasi Temples Tour covers prominent
temples in Varanasi, but, in the course of visiting those temples a visitor happens to see various aspects of the way of life in the city
believed to be situated on the trident of Lord Shiva. The oldest living city in the world, Varanasi, also known as Kashi
(meaning city of knowledge & enlightenment) & Banaras, is one of the holiest cities in India. Banaras holds a special regard
in the hearts of the Hindus. Presence of the holiest river Ganga, sacred ghats and temples of the city make Kashi very important
for the Hindus. It is in fact one of the Saptapuri (सप्त पुरी), as per Hindu religious scriptures. Saptapuri are the seven most
sacred cities for the Hindus. These cities are Kashi, Kanchipuram, Haridwar,
Ayodhya, Ujjain, Mathura & Dwarka. Varanasi is
known as city of Lord Shiva who had founded it several thousand years ago, as per the Hindu mythology. There is a ghat in
Varanasi where Lord Brahma, creator god among Hindu Trinity, welcomed Lord Shiva and, thus, made the ghat sacred. The ancient
& highly sacred temples in Varanasi attract visitors from all over the world and add more reasons for this city being a religious
place of the country. Varanasi is not only a Hindu pilgrimage but also a Buddhist pilgrimage. Prince Siddharth, later known as
Gautam Buddha or Lord Buddha, delivered his first sermon as part of Dharmachakrapravrtana in Sarnath, a historical site in
Varanasi. Hence, Buddhism was founded here and, so, Varanasi is important for the Buddhists too.
The city has around 88 ghats and hundreds of temples. Each ghat & temple has its own unique importance. Pilgrims,
historians and general tourists explore the temples and ghats in Varanasi to know more about Hindu religion, mythology,
ancient traditions, rituals and cultural colours. The temples of Varanasi attract a large cache of devotees throughout
the year. These temples were built ages and centuries ago by monks, saints and kings. All of these temples have great
connection to Indian mythology and spirituality. Currently, the existing temples are not old as the history describes.
It is because that the barbaric, intolerant and backward Muslims, out of religious vengeance, destroyed famous temples
and converted them into mosques. Apart from being a heavenly religious city, Varanasi is a colourful, vibrant and joyous
city where the hustle-bustle never stops. This cultural city is a delightful place to be at to be a patient listener of
mystical stories, to have insight into age-old beliefs and to imbibe mythological tales.
A tour of the temples of the city could be very long because there are a lot of temples in the city. Special rituals
and religious ceremonies are carried out in all of the temples in Varanasi. Every temple has its own religious significance.
Though there are numerous historically, religiously and mythologically important temples but Varanasi Temples Tour will cover
only some of the most venerated temples. It is, in fact, impossible to visit all the temples of Varanasi in a single day tour.
Varanasi Temples Tour commences with visit to Kashi Vishwanath Temple. It is the most worshipped, venerated and visited
temple of the city. Dedicated to Lord Vishveshwara or Shiva, i.e. the lord of universe, this temple is also called as
Kashi Vishwanath, Vishveswara Temple and Vishwanath Temple. It is an ultimate pilgrimage spot for the Hindus.
Kashi Vishwanath Temple, one of the 12 Jyortirlingams (द्वादश ज्योतिर्लिंग) of India, is the prime attraction of every pilgrim
and most of the tourists.
Annapurna Temple in Varanasi is one of the highly esteemed temples of the city. Annapurna, a reincarnation of Goddess Parvati,
is the presiding deity of the temple and pronounced Annapurna Maa and Annapurna Devi out of utter respect. Goddess Annapurna is
believed to be provider of food and nourishment in Hindu mythology. Annapurna Temple, built in conventional ‘Nagara’ architectural
style, is very pretty in look and serene in ambience. Annapurna Temple is very close to Kashi Vishwanath Temple and, hence, visited
immediately after Lord Shiva’s temple.
The Varanasi Ghat Tour itinerary, hereinafter, takes to southern part of Varanasi wherein lie three religiously
significant temples – Sankat Mochan Temple, Durga Temple and Tulsi Manas Temple.
Dedicated to Lord Hanuman and founded by Hindu saint Goswami Tulsi Das, Sankat Mochan Temple is another important
temple of Varanasi. Tulsi Das, writer of Ramcharitmanas, has been associated with Assi Ghat and Tulsi Ghat in Varanasi.
Sankat Mochan Temple is visited by the devotees of Lord Ram & Lord Hanuman. The temple campus remains crowded on Saturdays and Tuesdays.
Durga Temple, built in 18th century, is a famous ancient temple of Varanasi. Quite away from the ghats, it is in southern
part of the city. The presiding deity of the temple is Goddess Durga, a form of Goddess Parvati, consort of Lord Shiva.
The main idol of the deity, riding on a lion, is placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. There are lots of monkeys
seen always in & around the temple complex. Owing to this, Durga Temple in Varanasi is also called as ‘monkey temple’.
During Navratri festival, the temple remains crammed with the devotees from all over the world.
Tulsi Manas Mandir is not a very old temple like the others in the city but it is definitely a very important temple of
Varanasi. Dedicated to Lord Ram, it was built in 1964 AD. It was specifically built at the spot where Goswami Tulsi Das wrote Ramcharitramanas.
The last temple to be visited in standard tour program has to be Kal Bhairav Temple. It is one of the most
popular temple of Kashi is Kal Bhairav Temple, dedicated to Bhairav Nath. Bhairav is ferocious aspect of Lord Shiva. Bhairav Nath is
considered to be the ‘kotwal’ (sentinel) of the city. The temple has a metal idol of the presiding deity in its sanctum sanctorum.
There are actually 8 Bhairav temples in Varanasi. These temples are dedicated to eight different Bhairav - Asithanga Bhairav,
Chanda Bhairavar, Kapala Bhairav,Unmatta Bhairav, Bhishan Bhairav, Krodh Bhairav, Ruru Bhairav & Samhar Bhairav. All Bhairav
are protector of Kashi Vishwanath. Batuk Bhairav temple is however the most unique temple of them all.
Varanasi Temples Tour includes primarily above-mentioned six temples. These were some of the most pious temples of the
city that every devotee visits. If time & energy permits, the guests may be taken to two other religiously important temples- Nepali
(Kathwala) Temple & Vishalakshi Temple.
Nepali Temple or Kathwala Temple is quite an old temple built in early 19th century by the King of Nepal himself.
It is built in a typical Nepali style just like Pashupatinath Temple of Nepal. It can be described as a small replica
of Pashupatinath Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Kathwala Temple’s unique architecture attracts tourists in a large number.
It is also a very photogenic temple.
The list of the most sacred and popular temples of Varanasi will be incomplete without mention of Vishalakshi Temple.
It is a Shakti Peeth, a very prominent shrine dedicated to the Goddess. The goddess worshipped in the temple has large eyes.
Therefore, she is called as Vishalakshi, ‘vishal’ meaning big and ‘akshi’ meaning eyes. It is believed that earrings of
Goddess Sati fell at the same spot where the temple is constructed.
You will be picked up from your place of stay in Varanasi and taken to all the places mentioned in the itinerary.
Varanasi Temples Tour is a full-day guided ‘darshan’ & exploration trip. After visiting the temples, you will be transferred
to either the place of stay or railway station or airport.