Ancient and living temples of Kashi — timings, aarti, location and how to reach.
0 listedKashi is often called the city of temples — its lanes hold thousands of shrines, from the golden Kashi Vishwanath, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, to small neighbourhood temples worshipped at for centuries.
Most are living places of daily ritual rather than monuments: aarti is performed at fixed hours, the priests conduct darshan and abhishek, and festival days draw very large crowds. Use the listings below for each temple timing, location and how to reach it, and always check the temple notice board for same-day darshan changes.
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There is no exact official count — estimates run into the thousands, since alongside the major temples almost every lane has small shrines. This directory lists the notable and verified ones.
The temple is generally open from the early-morning Mangala Aarti (around 3 AM) until late at night (around 11 PM), with several aartis in between. Timings change on festival days, so confirm on the temple notice or its official site before you go.
Ordinary darshan is free. Optional paid services — Sugam Darshan, special aartis or a sponsored abhishek — can be booked at the major temples for a faster or reserved experience.
Kashi Vishwanath (the Jyotirlinga) is the centre; many also visit Sankat Mochan Hanuman, Durga Kund, the New Vishwanath temple on the BHU campus and Kaal Bhairav. Pair a temple visit with the evening Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat.
Most Varanasi temples are open to all visitors. A few sanctums restrict entry to Hindus; where that applies it is usually signposted at the gate, and photography is often restricted inside — look for the notices.