Kameshwar Temple, Varanasi - Timings, Location, History

Kameshwar Temple Varanasi

Vital Information for Visitors

Address:

Kameshwar (Kamananath) Temple, Rabindranath Tagore Rd, opp. Birla Birla Hospital, Machhodari, Varanasi, U.P.

Open & Close:

Open all days
5 AM – 12 PM
5 PM -10:30 PM

Aarti Timings:

Mangala Aarti – 5:30 AM
Shayan Aarti – 9:30 PM

Entry Fees:

Nil

Duration:

Approx 30 minutes

Famous For:

Two lingams – The bigger one is called as Durvaseshwar Mahadev & symbolic of Bhakti & smaller one, known as Kameshwar Mahadev, is symbolic of Shakti.

The temple of Kameshwar, in the northern part of Varanasi, is of ancient origin. Also known as Kamananath Temple, it is remarkable for the vast accumulation of shrines and images within its boundaries. At the entrance is a temple, with a group of deities inside, who are supposed to guard the passage. Passing along, one reaches to the first court where a Nagaada (kettle drum) is placed. It is beaten at intervals during the day, in honour of the presiding divinity. Then, proceed to the second courtyard. An extraordinary sight presents itself. The entire area of the quadrangle is literally filled with temples, so that it seems impossible to insert another. The quadrangle is not large, when compared with the courtyards of some other temples in Varanasi. All the temples are painted red, and have short steeples. The principal one is dedicated to Kamananath, or Kameshwar, the Lord of Desire, who, according to Hindu belief, assists his worshippers in the realization of whatever they aspire to achieve. Another temple is inhabited by Ram, Sita, the goddess Lakshmi, and the Sun. The temples altogether amount to ten or a dozen, each containing several idols.

A Peepal tree, worshipped as abode of all the gods due to round the clock oxygen-emitting property, is located amidst a platform on the north side of the enclosure. Several idols of various deities are placed thereupon. One of these idols is of Nrisingh, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. His birth is said to have been out of a pillar or post, which split down the middle, in order to admit him into the world. The two parts of the pillar are represented in the stone figure, one being on each side of the idol, which, in the form of a man with two horns on his head, is seated in the fork of the divided pillar, gloating over the demon who lies prostrate across his lap. Nrisingh is seen the demon Hiranyakashyap disembowelling and pulling to pieces with his nails. Besides other images, there is the usual emblem of Shiva, with a snake creeping up it; and on the horizontal stone, which is always connected with it, are carved ten other emblems, exact counterparts of the entire idol, with the exception of the snake. On the sides of the quadrangle, long narrow rooms open on the centre of the square; and these may be regarded as so many separate shrines, inasmuch as they are occupied by groups of deities. Two of these are filled with the peculiar emblems of Shiva and one of them holds as many as twenty-five. A third has a figure of Nrisingh, similar to that just described, and, also, the goddess Machaudari, an immodest figure, seated on a peacock. There is, likewise, in the same room, an image of the Rishi Durvasa, whose asceticism is said to have been so vigorous, that he was raised, by its instrumentality, to an equality with the gods, and sat with Lord Vishnu as his peer.

The temple of Kamananath is connected with a depressed plain close by, which was formerly an extensive kund or pond, and was then called the Machaudari Tirth, or place of pilgrimage, which, like other kund (ponds /tanks) in Benares, was frequented by many pilgrims, who worshipped in the temple and bathed in the pond. The kund had got drained several decades ago. The Machaudari Tirth is now abolished and, consequently, the number of pilgrims frequenting the temple of Kamananath has greatly diminished.