Shiva is the subject of the Hindu shrine Kashi Vishwanath shrine. It is situated in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India’s Vishwanath Gali. One of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines, the temple is a Hindu pilgrimage place. The names Vishwanath and Vishweshwara (IAST: Viśvanātha and Viśveśvara), which literally translate to “Lord of the Universe,” are used to refer to the ruling deity.

The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb had destroyed the temple multiple times, most recently when he built the Gyanvapi Mosque on its location.[1] The Maratha emperor Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore erected the present building on a nearby plot around 1780.[2]

The Uttar Pradesh government appointed a board of trustees to oversee the temple’s management beginning in 1983.[3] January 1, 2023: An all-time high of 3.35 lakh

Varanasi is thought to have been the site of the first Jyotirlinga manifestation.[7] In front of Brahma, the Hindu deity of creation, and Vishnu, the Hindu god of preservation, during a dispute over who was superior, is where Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction, is said to have appeared as an endless column of light (Jyotirlinga).[8]