Temples in Varanasi (वाराणसी)

The temples of Varanasi

Kashi's temples are counted in thousands and the ones that matter to a visitor are few: the Vishwanath Jyotirlinga at the centre, Sankat Mochan for Hanuman, Durga Kund for the Goddess, and the ghats, which function as temples in their own right. Almost everything is Shaiva in emphasis, which is the city's own account of itself.

The Corridor has changed how Vishwanath is approached — a walled route from the river, airport-style security, phones deposited — while the smaller shrines are still reached through the lanes on foot. Non-Hindu visitors are admitted to the courtyards of most and to the sanctum of few, which is the usual arrangement here and is not a recent one.

The city rewards an early start and punishes a car. Almost every shrine is reached through lanes, the ghats are walked between rather than driven, and the temple aartis are fixed points a visit is arranged around rather than the reverse. Leaving phones and leather behind is the norm at the larger temples rather than a special rule, and the Corridor's security queue is its own half hour.

The city's own circuit spills past its limits: Sarnath is ten kilometres out, Vindhyachal and its Shakti Peetha about seventy, and Prayagraj's confluence two hours west. Families keeping river rites frequently do Kashi and Prayagraj on one journey, in that order or the reverse. Sarnath is a short auto ride; the other two are trains, and Prayagraj is the more common of them.