Skip to main content
Ancient temple spires and architecture in Varanasi, the city of temples

Temples of Kashi

The sacred temple circuit of Varanasi

Kashi is known as the city of 3,000 temples — an ancient saying that reflects the density of sacred shrines throughout every lane of the old city. The most important temples form a pilgrimage circuit that serious devotees complete over multiple days. Among them, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple — one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of India — is the supreme object of pilgrimage.

Visiting protocol: it is customary to visit Kal Bhairav Temple first when entering the temple circuit — the Kotwal (divine guardian) of Kashi gives permission to proceed to the other shrines.

Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple exterior in Varanasi — the gold-spired Jyotirlinga shrine

Kashi Vishwanath Temple

The most sacred Shiva temple in Hinduism — one of the twelve Jyotirlingas

Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple in Varanasi — one of the city's most beloved temples

Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple

Founded by Tulsidas — the remover of troubles, home of India's greatest classical music festival

Bhairava — historical depiction of the guardian deity of Kashi from a 1591 Mughal Ragamala painting, Chunar near Varanasi

Kal Bhairav Temple

The Kotwal of Kashi — guardian deity of Varanasi who receives offerings of alcohol

Durga Kund Temple — red Nagara-style temple dedicated to Goddess Durga in Varanasi

Durga Temple (Durga Kund)

The vivid red shrine of Maa Durga — also called the Monkey Temple

Tulsi Manas Mandir — white marble temple where Tulsidas wrote the Ramcharitmanas, Varanasi

Tulsi Manas Temple

The Ramcharitmanas inscribed in marble — a living text from walls to floors

Annapurna Temple entrance in Varanasi — dedicated to the goddess of food and nourishment

Annapurna Devi Temple

The goddess of nourishment, whose abundance sustains all of Kashi

Vishalakshi Devi Temple, Varanasi — front view of the Shakti Peetha on the banks of the Ganga near Mir Ghat

Vishalakshi Temple Varanasi

One of the 51 Shakti Peethas — the wide-eyed goddess who holds the power of Kashi

Bharat Mata Temple, Varanasi — the marble relief map of undivided India carved in stone, the central feature of India's only temple dedicated to Mother India

Bharat Mata Temple Varanasi

The only temple in India where the deity is the nation itself — inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1936

New Vishwanath Temple (Birla Mandir) at Banaras Hindu University campus, Varanasi — the white marble Shiva temple open to all faiths

New Vishwanath Temple (BHU)

Kashi Vishwanath in white marble — open to all, built by the Birla family, set in India's largest university

Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the Corridor complex connecting it to the Ganga ghats, Varanasi

Kashi Vishwanath Corridor

The Jyotirlinga now faces the Ganga — a 400-year dream realised in December 2021

Plan Your Temple Pilgrimage

Spirit of Kashi guides the Kashi temple circuit — Vishwanath, Kal Bhairav, Sankat Mochan, and the complete Ashta Bhairava circuit — with deep knowledge of each shrine.

Kashi Pilgrimage Tour