📞 +91 91992 67480

Kashi Darshan guide

Kashi Darshan: A Guide to the Temples and Yatras of Varanasi

“Kashi Darshan” is used for a round of visits to the temples of Kashi, as Varanasi is also called; tour operators sell it, and the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust’s booking page lists a “Kashi Darshan Bus Seva”. This guide covers what the term means, the traditional yatras, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust’s published timings and fees, and suggested plans from south Varanasi. We keep fact, tradition, legend and disputed claims apart, and we say where official sources disagree.

Kashi Darshan at a glance

Official and academic sources, read on 10 and 11 October 2026; the Temple Trust’s pages were re-checked on 11 October 2026. Timings change on festival days, so confirm locally.

  • What it means: a visit to the temples of Kashi. We found no single official list of which temples a Kashi Darshan includes.
  • Kashi Vishwanath: entry is free, according to the Temple Trust’s FAQ, which gives Sugam (special) Darshan as Rs 300 per person; the Trust’s booking page still listed Sugam Darshan at 300 on 11 October 2026.
  • Phones and pens: the Trust’s FAQ says electronic and non-electronic gadgets, including pens, are not allowed inside the temple premises.

What “Kashi Darshan” means

We found no fixed list of temples. We checked the Varanasi district website, UP Tourism and Incredible India, and none of them publishes an official Kashi Darshan circuit. So the set of temples sold as a “Kashi Darshan” by tour operators is, as far as we could find, a trade convention, not a rule.

Two official lists are useful starting points. The Varanasi district website lists ten temples of importance: Kashi Vishwanath, Annapurna, Sankatha, Kal Bhairav, Mrityunjay Mahadev, New Vishwanath, Tulsi Manas, Sankat Mochan, Durga and Bharat Mata. UP Tourism‘s Varanasi page lists, among its city highlights, the Kashi Vishwanath, Durga, Kedareshvara, Sankat Mochan, Shitala, Chausath Yogini, Tulsi Manas and Bharat Mata temples, and the Vishwanath Khand.

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust also uses the term: its booking page shows a “Kashi Darshan Bus Seva – Package” heading, with no price or timing published there.

The traditional Kashi Darshan routes: the yatras

This section describes textual tradition and the work of scholars, not a timetable you can join. Most of it comes from essays by the geographer Rana P.B. Singh and Pravin S. Rana on the Indian Institute of Heritage’s Varanasi portal. They date the Kashi Khanda, part of the Skanda Purana, to about the 13th century and use it, with other texts, as the basis of Kashi’s pilgrim circuits. This is their dating; we have not compared it with other scholars’ dates.

Singh and Rana describe eight yatras as the most common and still practised, to differing degrees: Panchakroshi, Nagar Pradakshina, Avimukta, Vishveshvara Antargriha, Kedareshvara Antargriha, Omkareshvara Antargriha, Uttaramanas and Dakshinamanas.

Panchakroshi Yatra

According to Singh and Rana, the Panchakroshi circles Kashi’s sacred territory over 25 krosha, about 88.5 km, traditionally in five days with five night halts: Kandawa (Kardameshvara), Bhimachandi, Rameshvar, Shivpur and Kapiladhara. They say pilgrims take the vow at the Jnanavapi Mandapa and return there at the end. Where accounts differ: at least one other published route account, by a travel writer, gives about 80 km and begins and ends at Manikarnika Kund instead. Singh and Rana name the intercalary month (mala-masa) as the yatra’s special season, and that a one-day version is held on Mahashivratri. Incredible India describes the Kardameshwar Mahadev temple at Kandwa as the first night halt.

The three Antargriha (inner) yatras

Singh and Rana describe three shorter circuits inside the city. The Vishveshvara Antargriha covers about 72 shrines: a bath at Manikarnika, a vow at the Muktimandapa in Jnanavapi, and an end at Vishveshvara. The Kedareshvara Antargriha covers about 126 shrines over roughly 7.5 km in one day, from a bath at Kedar Ghat to the Kedareshvara temple. The Omkareshvara Antargriha covers about 108 sites over roughly 14 km and, they write, is rarely performed today.

What this means for a visitor

A one- or two-day Kashi Darshan by road is a visit to selected temples, not one of these yatras. If you wish to take up a traditional circuit, ask a priest about the vow and the order of shrines.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple: what the Temple Trust publishes

The timings, fees and rules below are from the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust’s own pages, read and re-checked on 11 October 2026. The Trust’s pages do not agree on every time. Our Kashi Vishwanath Temple visitor guide sets out what each Trust page says. Its Rituals page is undated; its FAQ (PDF) file is dated December 2023. We give both where they differ, and we do not give aarti end times where they disagree. Timings change on festival days, so confirm locally.

History, as the Trust tells it: the Trust’s history page says the present temple was built in 1780 by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore, and that two of its domes were covered with gold donated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1839. According to PIB, the Prime Minister inaugurated Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham on 13 December 2021; PIB’s release of 12 December 2021 said the project was designed with ramps and escalators for elderly and disabled visitors.

  • Opening: 2:30 AM on the Rituals page; 2:45 AM on the Important Notices page; 3:00 AM in the FAQ. All three give closing at 11:00 PM.
  • Mangla Aarti: 3:00 to 4:00 AM on the Rituals page and in the FAQ; 2:45 to 3:45 AM on the Important Notices page. The FAQ says ticket holders report at 2:30 AM.
  • Mid-day Bhog Aarti: starts at 11:15 AM in the FAQ and on the booking list, and at 11:30 AM on the Rituals page; the pages give different end times.
  • Saptarishi Aarti: from 7:00 PM on both; the pages give different end times.
  • Night Shringar/Bhog Aarti: from 9:00 PM on both; the FAQ gives 9:00 to 10:15 PM.
  • Shayan Aarti: listed at 10:30 PM on the Rituals page only. The FAQ counts four aartis, and the booking page sells no Shayan ticket.
  • General darshan: both pages give 4:00 to 11:00 AM in the morning; the afternoon and evening windows differ between the FAQ and the Rituals page because of the aarti times above.

Fees on the Trust’s booking page

As shown on the official booking page on 11 October 2026, in rupees, with a maximum of 5 persons per booking. The FAQ says entry to the temple itself is free.

  • Sugam Darshan: 300
  • Mangla Aarti: 500
  • Mid Day Bhog Aarti: 300
  • Sapt Rishi Aarti: 300
  • Shringaar/Bhog Aarti: 300
  • Rudrabhishek (1 Shastri): 450
  • Rudrabhishek (5 Shastri): 1380

Rules the Trust states

From the Trust’s FAQ (December 2023) and its foreign-devotee page.

  • No electronic or non-electronic gadgets, pens and the like inside the temple premises; the FAQ gives this in answer to a question about mobile phones. The FAQ lists free lockers.
  • Aarti bookings cannot be cancelled and puja dates cannot be changed; the FAQ says no refund is given because the aarti booking amount is a kind of donation to the temple.
  • No dress code, but decent clothes are advised.
  • Foreign devotees with a valid passport book only at the head-office Helpdesk (Bansphatak), with the original passport and passport and visa photocopies; that ticket was listed at Rs 600 on 11 October 2026.
  • Trust helpline in the FAQ: +91 6393131608 (call or WhatsApp).

Other temples commonly visited

Distances are from Hotel Vinayak Plaza, by road, as Google Maps showed them on 5 October 2026 (fastest route at the time of reading). Traffic varies.

Kal Bhairav

The district website places the temple in Vishweshwarganj, by the Head Post Office, and calls Kal Bhairav the “Kotwal of Varanasi”. Belief: Incredible India notes the popular belief that pilgrims take Kal Bhairav’s permission to stay in Kashi and visit him after Kashi Vishwanath. Disputed: the Indian Institute of Heritage dates the present building to 1817; other sources say the 17th or 18th century. We found no temple-published timetable. About 7.2 km by road. See our Kal Bhairav temple guide.

Annapurna

The district website places the Maa Annapurna temple in the neighbourhood of the Kashi Vishwanath temple. At the Dham’s inauguration the Prime Minister said the statue of Mother Annapurna stolen from Kashi had been re-established there after a wait of a century, according to PIB. About 4.9 km by road.

Vishalakshi (claims disputed)

Tradition regards the Vishalakshi temple as one of the Shakti Peethas. Disputed: accounts disagree on which part of Sati fell here (earring, eye, face or chest) and on whether Varanasi is a main seat or a lesser one. The temple is not on the district website’s list and we found no official page for it, so we give no location, timings or route; ask us before you go.

Durga temple, Durgakund

The district website says the Durga temple beside Durgakund was built in the 18th century in the Nagara style; it does not name the builder. About 950 m by road.

Sankat Mochan Hanuman temple

The district website places it beside the Assi river, on the way from the Durga temple to BHU, and says Goswami Tulsidas founded it; this is tradition, not a dated record. About 270 m by road; see our hotel near Sankat Mochan Temple.

Tulsi Manas Mandir

A temple of Lord Rama listed by the district website, whose walls carry verses of the Ramcharitmanas. Tradition holds that Tulsidas lived and wrote the epic at this spot. About 850 m by road.

New Vishwanath temple, BHU

Inside Banaras Hindu University. The district website says it was planned by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, built by the Birlas, and is open to all castes and creeds. About 3.3 km by road; see staying by BHU.

Bharat Mata temple

The district website says it houses a marble relief map of India, that Mahatma Gandhi inaugurated it in 1936, and names the donors as Babu Shiv Prasad Gupta and Durga Prasad Khatri. About 5.2 km by road.

Ganga Aarti and Manikarnika

The Varanasi Development Authority says the Ganga Aarti is held every evening at Dashashwamedh Ghat; it gives no clock time. The district website says two of the city’s ghats are used only for cremation, without naming them; UP Tourism names Harishchandra and Manikarnika as the two major cremation grounds of Kashi. Please visit with respect, as funerals take place there. See our Ganga Aarti guide, Manikarnika Ghat guide and boat ride guide.

Sarnath: a separate Buddhist site

Sarnath is a Buddhist site, separate from the Hindu temple circuits described above; you can add it as a separate visit. UP Tourism describes it as the place where the Buddha gave his first sermon, and lists the Dhamekh Stupa, Chaukhandi Stupa, Dharmarajika Stupa, Mulgandhkuti Vihar and the Ashokan pillar whose lion capital is India’s national emblem. From our hotel, the Dhamek Stupa is about 20 km by road. Confirm opening hours and any closed days locally before you go.

A one-day Kashi Darshan from south Varanasi

This is a suggestion, not a rule, for visitors staying in south Varanasi. The old-city temples are a ride away: Kashi Vishwanath is about 4.7 km by road from our hotel, and Google Maps showed about 30 minutes at the time of reading. We have not yet checked where vehicles stop for the old-city temples, so ask us before you set out.

  1. Morning: Sankat Mochan (about 270 m), then the Durga temple and Tulsi Manas Mandir (each under 1 km by road). We have no official opening times for these temples, so ask us or at the temple.
  2. Late morning: leave your phone and pen at the hotel or in a locker, and go to Kashi Vishwanath. Plan around the mid-day Bhog Aarti: both Trust pages show general darshan pausing from 11:00 AM, but they give different times for when it resumes.
  3. Midday: Annapurna, then Kal Bhairav in north Varanasi (about 7.2 km from the hotel by road).
  4. Evening: the Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat, watched from the ghat or a boat. Check the start time locally.

A two-day plan

Also a suggestion, at a gentler pace.

  • Day 1, the old city: Kashi Vishwanath (or the Mangla Aarti, if you have booked it), Annapurna and Kal Bhairav; rest in the afternoon; Ganga Aarti or an evening boat ride.
  • Day 2, south Varanasi and Sarnath: Sankat Mochan, the Durga temple, Tulsi Manas Mandir and the New Vishwanath temple at BHU (about 3.3 km by road) in the morning; then Bharat Mata temple (about 5.2 km) and Sarnath in the afternoon.

From Hotel Vinayak Plaza

We are on Sankat Mochan Road in south Varanasi, not in the old city. Our reception can book an auto or cab for your temple day, and our kitchen serves vegetarian food, including satvik and vrat food. The hotel also offers Kashi Darshan packages; for what a package covers, ask on WhatsApp or see Kashi Darshan packages with a hotel stay. See the rooms.

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

Call +91 91992 67480
Ask about a package on WhatsApp

Questions about Kashi Darshan

Which temples are included in Kashi Darshan?

We found no official list. The Varanasi district website lists ten temples of importance, named above, and UP Tourism names a different set.

What time does Kashi Vishwanath temple open?

The Temple Trust’s Rituals page says 2:30 AM, its Important Notices page 2:45 AM and its FAQ (December 2023) 3:00 AM; all three say it closes at 11:00 PM. We re-checked both on 11 October 2026. Timings change on festival days, so confirm locally.

How much does Sugam Darshan cost at Kashi Vishwanath?

The Trust’s FAQ says entry is free and special (Sugam) darshan costs Rs 300 per person; the booking page still listed Sugam Darshan at 300, with up to 5 persons per booking, when we re-checked on 11 October 2026.

Can I take my mobile phone into Kashi Vishwanath?

No. The Trust’s FAQ says electronic and non-electronic gadgets, including pens, are not allowed inside the temple premises. It lists free lockers.

How do foreign visitors book darshan?

According to the Trust, foreign devotees book only at the head-office Helpdesk at Bansphatak, with the original passport and photocopies of the passport and visa. The ticket was listed at Rs 600 when we re-checked on 11 October 2026.

Is Kashi Darshan the same as the Panchakroshi Yatra?

No. The Panchakroshi is a traditional circuit of about 80 to 88.5 km, depending on the account, traditionally made over five days. A Kashi Darshan by road visits a chosen set of temples in a day or two.

How far is Kashi Vishwanath from Hotel Vinayak Plaza?

About 4.7 km by road, according to Google Maps on 5 October 2026. Travel time depends on traffic.

Sources

Official, government and academic pages used for this guide, read on 10 and 11 October 2026; Temple Trust, district, UP Tourism, Incredible India, VDA and PIB pages re-checked on 11 October 2026. For more of the city, see our Varanasi guide and places to visit in Varanasi.