Varanasi Yatra

During the beginning of Chatur Maas (the annual four month period during which Sanyasis stay put in one place) of 2023, we got to know that His Holiness, Sri Vijayendra Saraswati, Shankaracharya of Kanchi Mutt (HH) was camping at Varanasi. We thought it will be a good opportunity to have His darshan and go around the important temples in and around Varanasi. In the Kashi Khand of the Skanda Purana it is mentioned that one who lives in Kashi for a continuous period of 3 days and sincerely prays to the Lord by observing all the norms will surely get Liberation / Moksha in the same birth. This was another reason for making this trip and planning a 4 day stay here. In addition, the Trustees of Shruthi Smruti Seva Trust who had recently conducted their annual Ghana Parayanam wanted to go there to give the Acharya Sambhavanai to HH. We decided to be part of their group.

All the above reasons gave us a wonderful opportunity to visit the holiest of holy places of Bharat. The details of our short and satisfying yatra are given below. The number pf temples we visited were numerous and I have only given very brief descriptions of the same in this blog. If one wants to know more about these temples, one can go to varanasitemples.in where detailed descriptions as well as Stala puranas are available. One lifetime is not sufficient to understand the glory of Kashi and absorb the sanctity of this place. What we did was akin to taking a brief dip in this Ocean of glory that is the destination of every spiritually inclined person.

Day 1

We left our hometown and took a direct flight to Varanasi one fine day in July 2023.  It was pouring cats & dogs when we left our home and all the way to the airport. Luckily, the roads didn’t get flooded or jammed and we reached the airport well on time for our flight. When we landed at Varanasi in the afternoon, it was a pleasant surprise to see clear skies and no rain. It was very warm though.

We took a taxi from the airport to our hotel – nearly 40 kms. The roads were clean and smooth with the highway extending from the airport till about 3-4 kms from Kashi. We reached our hotel (Hotel Golden Petals which is in the main road between the Shivala Ghat and the Hanuman Ghat) in about an hour. We decided to stay in this newly built hotel due to its proximity to the Kanchi Mutt where HH was camped. The hotel was lovely and clean. The rooms allotted to us were very tiny though.

After freshening up, we went to meet a local priest who was to be our guide during our stay at Kashi. The arrangement was made by Shri Venkatramanan, an ex-banker from Mumbai who is settled in Kashi for over 4 decades and is well known for identifying the various temples mentioned in the Kashi Khand and writing about them as well as making videos which he posts in YouTube. His life’s mission is to unravel the hidden treasures of Kashi and highlighting it thought various media for the benefit of all devotees.

The priest, whose name is Rameshwar, took us to the following temples on that evening:

-        Purushottam Temple: As it was Purushottam month when we reached Kashi, it was but appropriate that we started the temple tour by visiting the Purushottam temple in Kashi. It is a small temple and even 10 people coming together can make it look crowded. Our guide helped us get a proper darshan without being ushered away.

-        Triambakeshwarer : This is a representative of the Jyotirling with same name in Maharashtra. All the other eleven Jyotirlinga of India have a presence in Kashi, and it is believed that visiting these temples in Kashi gives 15 times more punya than visiting the main Jyotirlinga.

-        Someshwar : This is the representative of the Jyotirling of Gujarat which has been destroyed & looted by Moghul invaders multi0ple times and yet has re-emerged each time more powerful than ever.

-        Rameshwar : This is the representative of the Jyotirlinga at Tamil Nadu in the place from where Lord Rama’s army embarked on the mighty crossing of the ocean by building a bridge which is visible even today.

After this, as it was late in the evening, and we were tired, we decided to go to a local restaurant and have dinner. We then returned to our hotel for resting our bodies and rejuvenating ourselves for the next day which was going to be hectic too. The hotel lobby with its excellent air-conditioning seemed so welcoming and refreshing. That was how our Day 1 was spent in the Holy city of Kashi.

Day 2

Our boat driver

The sun rises early in Kashi. By 6 a.m. it was bright outside although it was cloudy and humid. In the morning, we met our local priest Viswanatha Ganapadigal and along with him took a boat ride to Dasaswamedh ghat where we did sankalpam and did a Ganga snanam and after that we did tarpanam for our ancestors. After that we took the same boat and returned to Shivala ghat which was near our hotel and returned to our room. Then we changed and met Sri Rameshwar, our local guide, around 9 a.m. and he had organized an Electric Rickshaw to take us around. It was very warm in the morning itself and we were worried about how the afternoon would be. We went to the following temples that morning:

-         Vaidyanath : This is representative of the Jyotirling at Parli (there are two claimants for Parli – one in Maharashtra and one in Jharkhand). People revere Lord Shiva as Vaidyanath who cures people of all ailments – physical, mental or spiritual. This temple was beautiful and well maintained unlike the ones we saw the previous day some of which were in a state of neglect. We were fortunate to be able to offer water and Bael leaves to the Vaidyanath Lingam.

-        Grishmeshwar - This is representative of the Jyotirling at Maharashtra. This temple was very close to the Vaidyanath temple and very maintained. Thanks to Rameshwar, our priest cum guide, we could offer Bael leaves to the Lingam. Fortunately, as it was early and as these are not very well known temples, there were no crowds and we could have peaceful darshan.

Boat ride before Tarpanam

-        Rameshwar – This is the second temple dedicated to Rameshwar Jyotirling, but our guide tells us that this is not the original which we had covered yesterday. We went there because it was close to Grishmeshwar temple.

-        Kamakhya Devi - We were fortunate to visit the Kamakhya temple which is the representative of the famous Kamakhya temple at Guwahati, Assam. This Devi was very beautiful, and we could offer flowers, coconut and other articles of worship to Her.

-        Krodan Bhairav – This is one of the eight important Bhairav temples in Kashi and situated very close to the Kamakhya temple. It is also known as Aadi Bhairav temple. He is believed to grant strength and courage to His devotees to achieve success.

-        Batuk Bhairav – Also called as Vatuka Bhairava, this is another important Bhairav temple which is near the Krodan Bhairav temple. It is decorated with a large silver covering. The temple had several stray dogs inside which are considered as His companions.

-        Malikarjuna - This is representative of the Jyotirling at Sri Sailam in Andhra Pradesh. The temple was beautiful and peaceful. One must climb a flight of steps to reach the temple. The courtyard and the premises were clean and serene. It was almost deserted as very few people seem to know about this beautiful temple. We were told that the premises has been renovated couple of years ago after Prime Minister Narendra Modi got elected from Varanasi.

Boat ride before Tarpanam

-        Pitreshwar – We then went in the rickshaw to a temple called Pitreshwar Mahadev Mandir which had a large Kund (Pond) beside it. It is believed that by visiting and praying at the temple, one’s ancestors (Pitrus) get pleased and also benefitted in the form of beatitude. It was midday when we reached here, and the temple had very few devotees at this time. We were lucky to see this Lingam on the same day we did Tarpanam.

-        Vruddha Kaleshwar – This temple was built by one pious person called Vridha Kal who informed everyone that the temple was built by Lord Mahadev. By doing this he showed the way to all that we should not brag about the pious deeds done by us. 

-        Maha Kaleshwar – Very close to above temple is the Maha Kaleshwar which, as per Kashi Khand, will confer benefit of worshiping the entire world (all deities in the world) by worshipping the Lingam here. One is also saved from untimely death by worshiping here.

Outside Malikarjuna temple

-        Maha Mrityunjay – Located nearby is the famous Maha Mrityunjay temple which is worshipped by devout for protection from death. People chant the sacred mantra and do puja and havan here – either in person or through numerous priests who do this continuously though out the year.

-        Dhanvantri – Located within this temple premises is that Dhanvantri Khoop (Well) and Dhanvantri temple which we visited. Dhanvantri, the physician to the Gods, is the incarnation of Lord Vishnu who manifested during the churning of the ocean and gave the science of Ayurveda to the world. We also had a drink of water from the well which is supposed to have tremendous healing properties.

-        Bada Ganapathi – After this, we visited the Bada Ganapathi temple where the Lord is huge – about 12 feet in height. The temple was closed for afternoon prayers and neivediyam. We waited for the doors to open and had a darshan of the aarti of the Lord who has three eyes (Trinetra).

-        Asithang Bhairav – Another important Bhairav temple located inside the premises was next in our list. He protects devotees from all kinds of evils and gives happiness and prosperity.

-        Kriti Vaseshwar – This is the spot where Lord Shiva had killed an Asura called Gajasur (in the form of an elephant) who at the time of his death prayed to the Lord that his skin should adorn the Lord. The Lord agreed and stated that the Asuras body will become a huge Linga called Kirti Vaseshwar. The Lord and His family would always remain in this Lingam and worshiping it will cleanse the devotee of all sins of previous births. A mere darshan of the Lingam is sufficient to purify the devotee and praying here gives Moksha to the devotee. This is one of the foremost and important temples of Kashi. The original temple was destroyed by the Moghuls and the premises converted into a mosque. Luckily, Hindus are allowed to enter this premises and worship the Lord here. The original Ling is no longer in existence.

There is also a new temple nearby with the same name which we visited.

After this, we returned to our hotel for some rest. It had grown very hot by this time, and we were famished and thirsty. We had arranged with a local lady for lunch which was delivered to our hotel neatly packed and complete meal with Rice, Sambhar, Rasam, Cabbage bhaji, Buttermilk and some fried chips. The quantity was more than sufficient, and the quality was impeccable. After this we had a snooze in the comfort of our hotel room.

In the evening, we had booked for Saptarishi aarti which was to commence by 7 p.m. So, we used the time from 4.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. to visit a few more temples as detailed below:

Outside Vaidyanath temple

-        Sankat Mochan Hanuman - This is one of the popular temples in Kashi. There are two temples inside facing each other. One of Lord Ram along with Sita and Lakshman and the other of Hanuman. Luckily it wasn’t crowded as we were early there. We quickly had our darshan and proceeded to the nearby Durga temple.

-        Durga Devi - This is another very famous temple of Kashi built in the 18^th century by a Bengali queen. The idol is believed to be a Swayambhu. The story of this temple is found in Devi Bhagvata Purana where Durga Devi was invoked by the local king to protect Kashi from invading forces. The Devi obliged the king and defeated the invaders. The temple has red paint all over and is unique.

-        Chand Bhairav  - Located within the Durga Devi temple is the Chand Bhairav temple which is one of the eight important Bhairav temples of Kashi.

-        Lakshmi Kund & temple - Located near the main temple of Kashi is the Lakshmi temple which has a lovely pond within its premises. It started raining by the time we reached this temple, and we weren’t prepared for the rains. We got soaked from head to toe. It was as if the Lord wanted to purify us before having His darshan…

-        Mata Annapoorneshwari  - The temple of the consort of Lord Vishwanath, the divine mother who feeds the entire creation, Mata Annapoorneshwari, is located just outside the main temple of Kashi. We entered in the evening around 6 p.m. and it wasn’t much crowded. For the first time in my life, we were allowed to go inside the sanctum and touch Her feet (a toke Dakshina of Rs. 100 per person was paid to the temple priest for this privilege). We went around the temple and had darshan of all the other deities inside. Among them, were the Bhairav Durga and Lord Satyanarayana.

Vishweshwar - Then we visited the most important temple of Kashi which is visited by 7 crore devotees each year making Kashi one of the most popular and attractive destinations in the country today. This is the magnificent Kashi Vishwanath (also known as Lord Vishweshwar) temple. We were booked for the Saptarishi aarti and we managed to get a contact of a local policeman who was overseeing security inside the temple. Due to this, we got a comfortable seat near the North entrance and witnessed the aarti which took about an hours’ time. The aarti is an elaborate affair starting with Abhishekam of the Lingam with different items like Rose water, Milk, Sandalwood water etc. Then the Lord was decorated with huge number of garlands, a gold crown etc. Then the aarti with different kinds of lamps was done with a strange chanting which we could not make out. The conclusion was the aarti with camphor accompanied by the sounds of bells, drums and other instruments.

After the aarti, we got to go inside and have a closer look of the Lord as well as to touch Him. It was crowded and everyone was jostling each other to go first. Then we stood in a queue to get the prasadam of the sandalwood paste and the sip of the water used to do abhishekam. 

Shaneeshwar - Within the main temple of Vishweshwar, very near the Sanctum, is the Shaneeshwar Ling. Shani Dev was born of Chaya, the second wife of Lord Surya.  Shani Dev had come and installed this idol and had done intense prayers to Lord Shiva who in turn blessed Him. Anyone who has darshan of this Lingam and performs puja on Saturday gets relief from the afflictions caused by Shani Dev. We too had a darshan of this Lingam both on Friday and Saturday.

After that we came out and returned to our hotel. The lady who had given us the lunch had sent us Upma & chutney for the evening dinner which we had. It was delicious and filling. After that, we slept off as we were tired after all the days activities. Thus ended Day 2 of our yatra.

Day 3

It was Ekadashi on this day and we were fasting as usual. Only this time, it was in Holy Kashi where fasting on Ekadashi gives untold benefits. We had a tight schedule for the day visiting various important temples which are given below. As always, we were accompanied by Shri Rameshwar our guide who planned the route in such a way as to visit maximum number of important temples.

-        Bhima Shankar - This is representative of the Jyotirling at Maharashtra. The temple is established at the Kashi Karvat temple in Varanasi. The Lingam was in the area that can be only seen from a height of about 25 feet. It is believed that devotees who visit and worship at this temple are able to get rid of all their problems.

-        Chandreshwar - This temple, maintained and managed by the Drone family from Maharashtra, was established by Moon God Himself when He came to Kashi to get rid of a curse given to Him for showing partiality to one wife (Rohini) while being married to 27. He prayed to Lord Shiva here and even created a special well (called Chandra Khoop) to get pure water for the worship as Ganga was not yet flowing in earth those days. This temple also houses the Siddheshwari Mata (Some know this temple by this name) who bestows Siddha powers to her devotees who worship Her here.

-        Atma Veereshwar - This Lingam is perhaps one of the most sacred ones in Kashi. It is believed that if Kashi is the body of Lord Shiva , then this spot / Lingam is the Atma of the Lord. One can get the benefit of worshiping three crore Lingas if one worships the Lingam at this temple. Childless people also worship at this temple to be blessed with a child.

-        Budheshwar - This Lingam was installed by Lord Budha (son of Moon God and Tara, wife of Brihaspati) also known as the planet Mercury. He prayed here for several years and was blessed by Lord Shiva that whoever worships this Linga will attain the highest level of intelligence which will remain despite the devotee getting old.

-        Mangaleshwar - This Lingam was installed by the planet Mars who was born due to the sweat of Lord Shiva falling on the earth. He prayed here for many years to Lord Shiva who blessed Him and said anyone who prays at this temple / Lingam will have unending prosperity and happiness. People afflicted with Mangal dosh in their horoscope also pray here for relief.

-        Brihaspatishwar - This Lingam was installed and worshipped by Jupiter. Lord Shiva appeared before Him in the form of a divine light through the Lingam and blessed Him to become the Lord of all Devas and have excellence in speech. Any devotee who worships this Lingam will get all his wishes fulfilled and become successful in all his endeavours. Worshipping this Lingam for six consecutive months cleanses all the sins of the devotee.

-        Vasukeshwar - This Lingam is worshipped by devotees to get rid of fears on account of snakes.  There is a Vasuki Kund (well) attached to this temple which is believed to be formed out of the sweat of Vasuki Nagaraj. This temple also contains the idol of Vasuki Nagraj who was the serpent used to churn the ocean by the Devas and the Asuras. This temple contains two Lingams which when worshipped gives relief from the negative effects of Rahu & Ketu.

-        Sankata Mata – Devotees of Devi worship Her on the 8^th day of the Navaratri. She showers Her devotees with eternal happiness and prosperity.

-        Yamaditya – This Lingam was installed and worshipped by Lord Yama, the God of death. If a person takes bath in the Sankata Ghat (which is nearby) and worships this Lingam, such a devotee will never experience the tortures of Hell and will reach heaven directly after death.

-        Mangal Gouri - This Devi idol, along with a Shiv Ling, was established and worshipped by Lord Surya for several years. Pleased with His devotion, Lord Shiva appeared before Him and blessed that anyone who worships this Devi will be blessed with all happiness & prosperity. Childless couples will have children and unmarried girls will get suitable match.

-        Gabasteshwar - This Lingam was the one installed by Lord Surya as described above and in considered one of the most important temples in Kashi. As blessed by Lord Shiva, anyone who takes bath in Pancha Ganga and worships this Lingam will be freed from all sins and will obtain moksha / liberation from the cycle of life & birth.

Bindu Madhav Temple

-        Bindu Madhav – One of the most important Vaishnav temples of Kashi is the Bindu Madhav temple. Lord Vishnu had given a boon to a sage named Agni Bindu that He will forever be present in Kashi and grant wealth, prosperity and even Moksham to devotees who worship Him here. The temple is quaint and nice. The Lord is in the form of a Large Salagram which is worshipped with flowers and Tulsi leaves. We were fortunate to witness the Sahasranam archana being performed with Tulsi leaves when we were there. The original Bindu Madhav temple was located about 100 meters from this temple, but it was destroyed and a large mosque stands there.

-          Nageshwar - This Lingam represents the Jyotirling which is in Maharashtra (and there is another one with similar name in Gujarat near Dwaraka). Worshipping this Linga purifies the devotees of all sins committed knowingly / unknowingly.

-          Kaal Bhairav – One of the most revered and visited Bhairav temples of Kashi is the Kaal Bhairav temple. He is one of the guardians of the holy city and a yatra to Kashi is considered incomplete without visiting this temple. It was packed full of devotees when we visited. There were also some VIP devotees due to which regular devotees had to wait. We managed to get our darshan as quickly as possible.

After this we walked about 200 yards and took an autorickshaw to go back to our hotel. It was hot and sunny and we were glad to be back in the cool insides of our hotel. We took rest in the afternoon in the room as we were famished and tired of the walking around in the Sun. In the evening, we visited the following temples:

-        Annapoorneshwari – Our second visit to this temple of the consort of Lord Shiva, Mata Annapoorni which is situated just outside the boundary of the main temple. Luckily, it is never very crowded, and we could get in quickly after walking through the famous gullies of Kashi where no vehicles are allowed, except two wheelers. We were fortunate to be able to go once again into the sanctum upon paying a small Dakshina to the priest and place our heads of Her feet. She is the Mother who feeds all creation. The temple has a program of Annadhanam on all days for the benefit of devotees who come from all over the country.

-        Vishweshwar - We had booked for the Sapta Rishi Aarti for the second time. We reached the temple well on time. Through a contact, we had connected with the main priest who conducts this aarti to help us get special seats. But as there were barriers everywhere within the temple and no mobile phones were allowed, we could not contact him. Finally, two of us managed to meet him and he allowed the two of us to go inside the sanctum and touch the Lord before the aarti began. After this we were on our own and due to higher-than-normal crowds, we had to be content to sit at a distance and watch the proceedings on a screen rather than directly. After some time, we decided to leave as we were booked for the Mangal Aarti darshan in the early morning of next day. We proceeded directly to our hotel to get a short sleep.

Day 4

Outside Malikarjuna temple

We woke up at 2 a.m. for the Mangal Aarti darshan. After a quick bath, we came down to the street level and found it buzzing with activity. We were told that Kashi never sleeps and people are always found at all hours., We got into a rickshaw and proceed to the gate where entry was allowed for the aarti. We had a contact who was facilitating this. We met him outside the gate, and he took us in. After waiting for nearly an hour, we were ushered into the temple. There were about 200+ people for the aarti and so it was crowded. As there are four doors, the crowd got split into about 50 per door. So, we got a good darshan, but it was still not very comfortable. The aarti went on for about 45 minutes – starting with abhishek with different draviams (materials like milk, curds, honey etc.), then alankar (very elaborate) and then followed by the aarti. After this, we were greeted by a slight shower from the skies. We considered it as a blessing till it became heavier. We managed to get a hot cup of tea and then a rickshaw to return to the hotel.

Presenting Acharya Sambhavanai to HH

At around 7 a.m., we went to the Kanchi Mutt, a short walk from our hotel, to present the Acharya Sambhavanai to HH as mentioned in the opening of this blog. There were very few people at the Mutt at this time and we were asked to wait outside the room where HH was giving audience to some locals. That meeting went on for quite some time and a decent crowd had gathered by this time. While we were first to wait outside the door, some of the close attendants of HH started taking people inside directly without waiting in the queue. The crowd outside started getting restless and all rules of queuing were discarded, and people just started crowding in a semi-circle and pushing and jostling each other. After a long time, the doors opened to let the people inside come out. The crowd outside was too tightly packed to allow any easy exit. Tempers were starting to rise and some people were beginning to almost get into fist fights to get entry. After some time, we were allowed in and when this happened, a crowd of people rushed in. There was no time for any introductions or talk with HH. We had to be content to know that He might have seen us in the midst of so many people.

Later we attended the morning Pada Puja and Bikshavandanam ceremony followed by Dwadashi paranai (breaking of fast) at the Mutt. This comprised of some sambhar rice, a vegetable, a sweet and some curd rice. We came back to the hotel for some rest in the afternoon.

In the evening, we went to the following temples:

-        Kedareshwar  - This Lingam is the representative of the Jyotirling at kedarnath and is one of the most important Shiva temples in Kashi. It was located close to our hotel along the riverbank. It was also a short distance from the Kanchi Mutt. The Lingam here is a Swayambu (naturally formed). This was a blessing and a fulfillment of the wish of a devotee from Kashi who used to go to Kedarnath every year but couldn’t do so during old age. He prayed to Lord Shiva to appear in Kashi itself as Kedareshwar and was granted his wish by Lord Shiva. People who worship the Linga here get 7 times more punya than what they get by going to Kedarnath.

After this we attended the evening Pradosham puja at Matham which was conducted in a very low light by HH. There was a very large crowd to witness this puja. After this we had some light snack (Upma) at the Matham before proceeding to our hotel.

Day 5

The last day of our yatra was less hectic compared to the other days.

In the morning at 6 a.m. a few of us went to the Shivala ghat (close to our hotel) and had the proper Ganga Snanam preceded by Sankalpam. This is when I learnet the proper method of having bath in a holy river. One has to go fully clothed, chant the sankalpam as taught by a priest, dip fully facing the upstream river thrice and then step out for the change of clothes etc. We did our Sandhya prayers at the riverbank itself before returning to the hotel for breakfast.

After this, around 9 a.m., we went to the following temples along with our guide Sri Rameshwar in an autorickshaw.

-        Omkareshwar – This came about when, after severe penance, Brahma visualized the divine energy in the form of Aum (A + U + M + Naad + Bindu) which encompasses all the Vedas, Puranas etc. Brahma was so enchanted with this that He started singing praises of Lord Shiva who appeared before Him. He granted a boon to Brahma that He will always be present in the form of Five Lings to represent this Aum. However, only three Lings remain now. We visited all three which are not well known to the people who come to Kashi. It was almost deserted when we went there. We prayed, poured water and placed Bilwa leaves to worship the Lord. Worshiping Omkareshwar is equivalent to worshiping all the Shiv Lings in the world and also reciting one lakh Rudra japam as per Kashi Khand.

-        Trilochan – Also known as Trishtabh Ling, it is believed that the three rivers Yamuna, Saraswati, and Narmada once performed abhishek of this Ling. Even mentioning the word Trilochan once will cleanse the devotee of all his Sins. Even Sins committed in Kashi itself gets dissolved by worshiping this Ling. Akshay Thritheeya day is considered most auspicious for worshipping this Ling.

-        Kameshwar - This Lingam was installed by Sage Durvasa and people who perform puja here, on a day when Saturday, Trayodasha and Pradosha day combine, after having bath at the nearby Kam Kund (also created by the Sage) are cleansed of their sins, have their wishes fulfilled and reach heaven after death – as per the boon given by Lord Shiva to Sage Durvasa.

We had ordered packed lunch at hotel comprising of idlis and curd rice. As we were not hungry, we ate the idlis and carried the curd rice to be consumed later, if required.

On the way to the airport, we visited the house of Sri Venkatraman and Smt. Lalitha the couple from Mumbai who are settled in Kashi and about whom I had mentioned in the beginning of this blog. Together, they have been quietly doing a wonderful service to the Lord by writing books, supporting pilgrims etc. They were perfect hosts to us and we had a good time meeting them and bonding over a glass of refreshing lemon juice.

After that, we drove to the airport to catch our return flight to Mumbai and arrived home in the early hours of the evening. Thus ended one of the most anticipated and satisfying yatras ever undertaken by us.