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Temple visitor guide

Kal Bhairav Temple, Varanasi: History and Visitor Guide

Kal Bhairav Temple (काल भैरव मंदिर), also written Kaal Bhairav Mandir, is the temple of Kal Bhairav in Varanasi. The Varanasi district website places it near the Head Post Office in Vishesharganj and calls Kal Bhairav the “Kotwal of Varanasi”, a title devotees use for the guardian of the city. No official temple timetable was found, so this page gives only dated, attributed reports of timings, and asks you to confirm times at the temple. This is an independent visitor guide written by a hotel in south Varanasi, not the temple’s own site. For more of the city, see our Varanasi travel guide.

Kal Bhairav Temple at a glance

From the sources listed at the end of this page, read on 10 October 2026.

  • Location: near the Head Post Office, Vishesharganj, according to the Varanasi district website
  • Deity: Kal Bhairav, who in the Kashi Khanda account is created by Shiva
  • Popular title: “Kotwal” (guardian) of the city, a devotional belief used by the district website and heritage sources
  • Age of the building: disputed; 1817 according to the Indian Institute of Heritage, the mid-17th or 18th century in other published accounts
  • Timings: no official temple timetable found; see the dated reports below and confirm at the temple
  • From Hotel Vinayak Plaza: about 7.2 km by road (Google Maps, October 2026), a ride and not a walk

Where the temple is

The Varanasi district website lists Kal Bhairav among its temples of importance and places it near the Head Post Office, Vishesharganj.

The Cultural Heritage of Varanasi portal of the Indian Institute of Heritage gives a fuller address: K-32/22 Bhaironath, near Town Hall in Visheshvarganj, in north Varanasi. The district website spells the locality Vishesharganj and the portal spells it Visheshvarganj.

We have not yet checked on site where autos and cabs can stop or how long the walk through the lanes is from there. Ask your driver where he can drop you and how far you will need to walk from there.

Timings: what has been reported

We could not find an official temple website or a timetable published by the temple, so we do not give a fixed schedule here. What follows is attributed, dated reporting. Aarti times have been reported to change with the season, and hours may differ on festival days, so please ask at the temple before you plan around a time.

Read on 10 October 2026; timings change on festival days, so confirm locally.

  • Aarti, as reported in November 2025: Amar Ujala (7 November 2025) quoted a mahant of the temple saying that aarti times change in winter: the early-morning (bhor) aarti moves from 4 a.m. in summer to 5 a.m. in winter, and the evening aarti from 8 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. No report for winter 2026-27 was found.
  • Opening hours, according to Incredible India: the Ministry of Tourism’s Incredible India page gives opening hours of 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. in one place and approximately 5 a.m. to 9 to 10 p.m. in another. It also says midday closures may occur during bhog and rest periods.
  • A midday break, as reported in 2023: on a special shringar day in September 2023, Amar Ujala reported that the doors opened at 5 a.m., closed after a midday aarti and reopened at 2:30 p.m. That was one day’s report, not a daily timetable.

The story of Kal Bhairav

The story below is textual tradition and devotional belief, told as the sources tell it. It is not presented as history.

The story in the Kashi Khanda

In the Kashi Khanda of the Skanda Purana, as summarised by Green Message, Shiva creates Kalabhairava after Brahma, in his pride, belittles Shiva, and Bhairava plucks off Brahma’s fifth head with a fingernail. As expiation for slaying a brahmin, Bhairava must carry Brahma’s skull, pursued by Brahmahatya, the sin in personified form. The account says his sin is finally dispelled in Kashi, at the place that became known as Kapalamochana.

Lord of Kashi in the tradition

In the same Kashi Khanda account, Shiva grants Kalabhairava overlordship of Kashi and gives him names such as Kalaraja, the one feared by Time, and Papabhakshana, the devourer of devotees’ sins. The Indian Institute of Heritage portal adds the traditional belief that Bhairava takes over the duties of the god of death within Kashi, and that he is worshipped for protection and health.

Why devotees call him the kotwal of Kashi

The Varanasi district website calls Kal Bhairav the “Kotwal of Varanasi”, and the Indian Institute of Heritage portal describes him as the city’s divine police chief (kotawal). It is a popular devotional title; the Green Message summary uses the word only in its own closing commentary, not in its retelling of the text. The district website also reports the belief that no one can stay in Kashi without his permission. We give this as belief, not fact.

How old is the present building?

Sources disagree. According to the Indian Institute of Heritage portal, the present structure was built in 1817 by the Maratha Peshwa Bajirao II, as recorded on a stone inscription on the back wall of the inner courtyard. Other published accounts, which we do not treat as authoritative, give the mid-17th or the 18th century. We have not seen the inscription ourselves, so we give both dates and do not choose between them. The district website describes the temple as ancient.

At the temple: what the sources describe

According to Incredible India, the deity’s image has a silver face, and only the face is visible through the sanctum doorway; the rest is draped in cloth.

The Indian Institute of Heritage portal describes a priest blessing devotees with a club of peacock feathers, along with sacred ash and black threads that devotees wear as an amulet against illness or evil spirits. Incredible India also mentions a protective thread, the Bhairav raksha sutra, and offerings of oil and black sesame.

We have not yet visited to check the queue, the rules on phones, bags and footwear, or what the stalls outside sell, so this guide gives no rules. Please follow the notices and the instructions of the temple staff.

Bhairav Ashtami and other observances

In the Kashi Khanda account, as summarised by Green Message, fasting and worship of Kalabhairava are prescribed on the Ashtami (eighth day) of the dark fortnight of Margashirsha. The summary does not name a festival; this lunar date is popularly known as Bhairav Ashtami or Kalabhairav Jayanti. The date changes every year with the Hindu calendar, and we have not found an official notice for this year’s date, so we do not give one.

Amar Ujala reported in September 2023 that a special hariyali (greenery) shringar of Kal Bhairav is held every year in the month of Bhadrapad.

We have not checked whether the temple’s hours change on these days. If your visit falls on a festival, ask at the temple.

Getting there from south Varanasi

Hotel Vinayak Plaza is in south Varanasi, and Kal Bhairav is in the northern part of the city, according to the Indian Institute of Heritage portal. From the hotel, the temple is about 7.2 km by road, about 37 minutes by Google Maps when we measured it in October 2026. Traffic varies, so treat that time as a rough guide, not a promise. This is a ride, not a walk: go by auto or cab, and ask your driver where he can drop you.

If you are staying with us, our reception can book an auto or cab for you. Other distances measured from the temple:

  • From the temple to Varanasi Junction railway station: about 4.0 km by road, about 17 minutes (Google Maps, October 2026)
  • From the temple to Mrityunjay Mahadev Temple: about 550 m by road or on foot (Google Maps, October 2026)

Combining Kal Bhairav with other temples

Incredible India says it is customary to visit Kal Bhairav after darshan at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. We share this as a custom reported by the tourism ministry, not as a rule; follow your own family’s practice.

We have not measured the route between the two temples, so we do not give a distance or walking time. Ask your driver or at either temple for the way across on the day. To fit both into a wider temple day, see how to plan a full Kashi darshan, and for more sights, our list of tourist places in Varanasi.

Questions about Kal Bhairav Temple

Where is Kal Bhairav Temple in Varanasi?

The Varanasi district website places it near the Head Post Office, Vishesharganj, and the Indian Institute of Heritage portal gives the address as K-32/22 Bhaironath, near Town Hall in Visheshvarganj.

What are the Kal Bhairav Temple timings?

We could not find an official temple timetable. Incredible India gives 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. in one place and approximately 5 a.m. to 9 to 10 p.m. in another, and says midday closures may occur. Read on 10 October 2026; timings change on festival days, so confirm locally.

What time is the aarti at Kal Bhairav Temple?

Amar Ujala (7 November 2025) quoted a mahant of the temple saying the early-morning aarti moves from 4 a.m. in summer to 5 a.m. in winter, and the evening aarti from 8 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. That is a dated news report, not an official timetable. Read on 10 October 2026; confirm locally.

Why is Kal Bhairav called the kotwal of Kashi?

“Kotwal” means the chief of a city’s watch. The Varanasi district website calls Kal Bhairav the “Kotwal of Varanasi” and reports the belief that no one can stay in Kashi without his permission. It is a popular devotional title, not a historical fact.

What is the story behind Kal Bhairav?

In the Kashi Khanda, as summarised by Green Message (a summary of the text, not a translation), Shiva creates Kalabhairava, who plucks off Brahma’s fifth head. Followed by the sin of Brahmahatya, he carries the skull until the sin is dispelled in Kashi at Kapalamochana, and Shiva grants him overlordship of Kashi. This is textual tradition, not history.

How far is Kal Bhairav Temple from Hotel Vinayak Plaza?

About 7.2 km by road, about 37 minutes (Google Maps, October 2026). It is a ride, not a walk, and old-city traffic can make it longer. Our reception can book an auto or cab for guests.

Sources

The facts on this page come from these pages, read on 10 October 2026; distances were measured on 5 October 2026. News reports are dated and may not reflect current practice.

If you notice something out of date, please contact us.

Contact Hotel Vinayak Plaza (the hotel, not the temple)

Call or WhatsApp +91 91992 67480 (enquiries). Phone calls are answered 24×7. Email: stay@hotelvinayakvaranasi.com. Address: Sankat Mochan Rd, near Sankat Mochan Temple, Saket Nagar Colony, Sankata Mochan Leprosy, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221010. You can also contact the hotel online or see the rooms.

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