Mandirs in Varanasiਵਾਰਾਣਸੀ ਦੇ ਮੰਦਰ

Varanasi, also called Kashi and Banaras, is one of the oldest living cities in the world and the holiest city of Shiva. Its temples stand in layers: a Jyotirlinga in the old city's lanes, a Hanuman temple founded by a poet-saint in the south, and a red goddess temple beside a sacred pond. This guide covers the three mandirs at the heart of a pilgrim's Varanasi: Kashi Vishwanath, Sankat Mochan and Durga Kund. Jugti's full entry for the first is linked below; the other two are introduced here and will receive their own full entries in time.

Kashi Vishwanath: the Golden Temple at the city's heart

On the western bank of the Ganga stands Kashi Vishwanath Temple, dedicated to Shiva as Vishwanath, Lord of the Universe, and counted among the twelve Jyotirlingas. The temple has been destroyed and rebuilt repeatedly across the centuries; the present structure was built on an adjacent site by Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore in 1780, and Maharaja Ranjit Singh donated a tonne of gold in 1835 for plating its spire and domes, which is why devotees call it the Golden Temple. In December 2021 the Kashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor opened between the temple and the river, and the temple now receives tens of thousands of pilgrims a day. Hindu tradition holds that a visit here, with a bath in the Ganga, is a path towards moksha, liberation.

Sankat Mochan: Tulsidas's Hanuman temple by the Assi

In the south of the city, on the banks of the Assi river, the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple honours Hanuman as the reliever from troubles. Tradition says the poet-saint Tulsidas, author of the Ramcharitmanas, founded it in the early 16th century on the spot where he had a vision of Hanuman, and composed a substantial part of his epic in this orbit. The temple is a living centre of that text: devotees recite the Hanuman Chalisa and the Sundar Kand daily, expounders discourse on the Ramcharitmanas in the courtyard, and the temple sponsors the Tulsi Ghat Ramlila each Dussehra season. Tuesdays and Saturdays, Hanuman's days, draw the largest crowds, many seeking relief from the difficult influences of Shani and Mangala in the astrological tradition. Every April the temple hosts the Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh, one of India's noted classical music and dance festivals, and the Sankat Mochan Foundation, founded in 1982 by its mahant Veer Bhadra Mishra, works to clean and protect the Ganga. On 7 March 2006 an explosion struck the temple during the evening aarti; worship resumed the next day, and a permanent police post now stands inside.

Durga Kund: the red temple of the goddess

Seven hundred metres north-east of Sankat Mochan, beside the rectangular pond that gives it its second name, stands Durga Mandir, also called Durga Kund Mandir. It was built in the 18th century by Rani Bhabani of Natore, a Bengali queen famed for temple patronage, in the North Indian Nagara style: many small shikharas joined together, painted red with ochre to match the colour of Durga, the goddess of strength and power. Local tradition holds that the image of the goddess here was not made by human hands but appeared on its own, and the Devi Bhagavata Purana's story tells how Durga, riding her lion, fought for the king of Kashi and agreed to protect the city. The temple is at its busiest during Navratri and Durga Puja, and generations of visitors have known it by a nickname earned from its former wooded setting: the Monkey Temple.

How do the three temples fit together on a visit?

The three shrines answer to three different moods of Kashi. Kashi Vishwanath is the city's sovereign shrine, Shiva as king of the universe, reached through the corridor from the ghats. Sankat Mochan and Durga Kund stand close together in the southern quarters, near Banaras Hindu University, and are usually visited on the same round: Hanuman for troubles carried and laid down, Durga for strength asked and given. Together they show why Varanasi is not one temple but a whole sacred geography. This guide is part of Jugti's mandirs in India collection.

All Mandirs in Varanasi

• Kashi Vishwanath Temple : the Jyotirlinga of Varanasi, rebuilt by Ahilyabai Holkar in 1780, its spire plated with gold donated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh
• Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple: Tulsidas's early 16th-century Hanuman shrine on the Assi, home of daily Ramcharitmanas recitation and the April Sangeet Samaroh (full entry coming)
• Durga Kund Mandir: Rani Bhabani's 18th-century red Nagara temple of Durga beside the Durga Kund pond (full entry coming)