Temple visitor guide
Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi: Visitor Guide
The Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust’s own pages agree that the temple closes at 11:00 PM, but they give three different opening times: 2:30 AM, 2:45 AM and 3:00 AM. We re-read all of them on 11 October 2026 and set out below what each page says, rather than choose one. Book Sugam Darshan and aarti tickets only through the Trust’s own website, app or counters. The temple stands near the Ganga ghats in Varanasi; from south Varanasi it is a ride into the city, not a walk.
Kashi Vishwanath Temple at a glance
From the Temple Trust’s own pages, read on 11 October 2026. Timings change on festival days, so confirm locally.
- Opens: 2:30 AM (Rituals page), 2:45 AM (Important Notices page) or 3:00 AM (FAQ). The Trust’s pages differ, so check the Trust’s site before an early visit
- Closes: 11:00 PM on all three pages
- Aartis that start at the same time on all three timing pages: Sapta Rishi Aarti at 7:00 PM and Shringar/Bhog Aarti at 9:00 PM
- Sugam Darshan: 300 on the Trust’s booking page (no currency sign shown); the Trust’s FAQ gives Rs 300 per person
- Not allowed inside: mobile phones, smart watches, cameras and other electronic gadgets, and also pens, according to the Trust
- Help: Trust helpline and WhatsApp +91 6393 131 608; query line +91 7080292930 (9:00 AM to 6:00 PM)
Kashi Vishwanath Temple timings: what the Trust’s pages say
The Trust publishes timings in three places on its website: the undated Rituals page, the undated Important Notices page, and an FAQ document (PDF) whose file is dated December 2023. They do not agree on every time. We give each page’s figure by name, and aarti start times only, because the end times differ. Read on 11 October 2026; timings change on festival days, so confirm locally.
Opening and closing hours
The Rituals page says the temple opens daily at 2:30 AM. The Important Notices page says it opens at 2:45 AM for Mangala Aarti. The FAQ says it stays open from 3:00 AM. All three pages say it closes at 11:00 PM, and the Notices page adds that it closes after the Shayan Aarti.
Darshan timings
Both the FAQ and the Rituals page give general darshan from 4:00 AM to 11:00 AM. After that they differ. The FAQ gives 12:20 PM to 7:00 PM and 8:30 PM to 9:00 PM. The Rituals page gives 12 noon to 7:00 PM, and then darshan again after the Sapta Rishi Aarti until 9:00 PM.
Aarti timings
Start times as each Trust page gives them:
- Mangala Aarti: 3:00 AM (FAQ and Rituals page); 2:45 AM (Notices page)
- Mid-day Bhog Aarti: 11:15 AM (FAQ and booking page); 11:30 AM (Rituals page and Notices page)
- Sapta Rishi Aarti: 7:00 PM (all three pages)
- Shringar/Bhog Aarti: 9:00 PM (all three pages)
- Shayan Aarti: 10:30 PM on the Rituals page; the Notices page names it but gives no time, and the FAQ lists four aartis without it
- The Trust also books Rudrabhishek and other pujas on its booking page; this guide does not cover them
Is the temple open today?
None of the three Trust pages names a weekly closing day. The Notices page says aarti and other timings may change on Purnima, during eclipses and on other special occasions, and asks devotees to check the latest official announcements before they plan a visit. For same-day changes, check the Trust’s notices page or call its helpline. See also the festival days section below.
Sugam Darshan, aarti tickets and online booking
Prices below are as the Trust’s booking page showed them on 11 October 2026. The page shows the figures without a currency sign, and its form allows up to 5 persons per booking.
- Sugam Darshan: 300
- Mangla Aarti: 500
- Mid Day Bhog Aarti: 300
- Sapt Rishi Aarti: 300
- Shringaar / Bhog Aarti: 300
General queue darshan
The Trust’s FAQ says you do not need to pay to enter the temple. Its Important Notices page also gives a timing for local devotees of 4:00 AM to 5:00 AM. That page does not say what proof of local residence is needed, so ask at the Trust’s help desk.
Sugam Darshan: what it includes and how to book
According to the Trust’s FAQ, under Sugam Darshan, at Rs 300 per person, a Shastri takes the devotee near the sanctum, and the devotee receives a box of prasad and locker use at no extra cost; the FAQ says the ticket price includes the Shastri’s dakshina. We have not confirmed a reporting gate or slot system for Sugam Darshan, so check this on your ticket or with the help desk.
Booking Mangala Aarti and the other aartis
The FAQ says aarti tickets can be booked on the Trust’s website, through its app, or at the Help Desk. The Notices page says a valid ticket is mandatory for Mangala Aarti and should be shown at the temple entry gate. The FAQ gives the Mangala Aarti reporting time as 2:30 AM, with entry from Gate No. 1, and says other aartis can be entered from any gate. It also says aarti bookings cannot be cancelled and puja dates cannot be changed, and that no refund is given because the aarti booking amount is a kind of donation to the temple. We have not confirmed how many days ahead booking opens.
Foreign devotees
The Trust’s foreigner booking page says foreign devotees book darshan only at the Trust’s head-office help desk in Bansphatak. You show your original passport and give photocopies of the passport and visa. The page gives the ticket as Rs 600, and its steps then list collecting prasadam, receiving an ang-vastram and darshan with Shastri assistance.
VIP and protocol requests
On the Trust’s booking page we found Sugam Darshan and the aarti tickets above, and no ticket named VIP darshan. For protocol requests, the Trust’s Important Notices page gives the email protocol@shrikashivishwanath.org and asks for your details and a letter. Our hotel cannot arrange VIP, protocol or quicker darshan, and we suggest you do not pay anyone who offers to.
Book only through the temple trust
Book only on the Trust’s website, through the app linked from the Trust’s homepage, or at the Trust’s own counters; the FAQ lists 7 counters, including the Help Desk, which it places near Gate No. 4. Be careful with look-alike websites and street ticket sellers. The Trust also streams live darshan on its website.
- Open shrikashivishwanath.org, or the app linked from that homepage
- Choose Sugam Darshan or an aarti on the booking page, with the date and number of persons (up to 5)
- For payment problems, the FAQ says to call or WhatsApp 6393131608 or email support@shrikashivishwanath.org
What to carry, lockers and dress
These rules are from the Trust’s FAQ and its Important Notices page, read on 11 October 2026.
Phones, bags and items not allowed
The FAQ says no electronic or non-electronic gadgets, including pens, are allowed inside the temple premises. The Notices page lists mobile phones, electronic or smart watches, electronic keys, recording glasses, cameras and other recording devices. It also asks devotees to leave unnecessary luggage at home or at their hotel where possible.
Lockers
The FAQ says free lockers are available at Mandir Chauk, at Yatri Suvidha Kendras 1, 2 and 3, and at the Help Desk. The Notices page says locker facilities are available but limited.
Dress and footwear
The FAQ says there is no dress code for darshan, but devotees are advised to wear decent clothes. We have not confirmed where footwear is left, so ask at the help desk.
Seniors, children and wheelchair users
The Trust’s Notices page says E-Kart services are available for differently-abled and disabled devotees. Sugam Darshan, described above, is a paid option in which, according to the Trust’s FAQ, a Shastri takes the devotee near the sanctum. The booking form asks for the number of children, but we found no published rule for children, so ask the help desk.
Festival days at Kashi Vishwanath
The Trust’s FAQ names some of the temple’s major functions: Rangbhari Ekadashi, Diwali, the monthly Shivratri, Mahashivratri and the Kartik month.
When we checked the Trust’s notices page on 11 October 2026, it had no arrangements published for this year’s festival days. Before you visit on a festival day, check the Trust’s website or call its helpline on +91 6393 131 608.
Where Kashi Vishwanath Temple is
Kashi Vishwanath Temple (काशी विश्वनाथ मंदिर) is close to the Ganga ghats. Incredible India‘s Dashashwamedh Ghat page says the temple stands nearby, and the Varanasi district website places the Annapurna temple near it. Foreign devotees book at the Trust’s head-office help desk, which its foreigner booking page places in Bansphatak (spelt Bashfatak there).
The Trust’s notices page says the area from Godowlia to Maidagin is a No Vehicle Zone, where vehicles are not permitted. We have not yet measured routes from the stations or the airport, so this guide gives no distances or fares from them.
The New Vishwanath Temple on the Banaras Hindu University campus is a different temple; the district website describes it as situated in the premises of the university.
Ghats and temples near Kashi Vishwanath
We have not yet measured walks from the temple to nearby ghats and temples, so we give no distances. See our guides to Manikarnika Ghat, Kal Bhairav Temple, the evening Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh and a boat ride on the Ganga.
To combine several temples in one day, see plan a Kashi darshan circuit, or browse places to visit in Varanasi.
History and significance of Kashi Vishwanath
Why the temple matters to pilgrims
The Trust’s history page describes the temple as enshrining the Jyotirlinga of Shiva, worshipped as Vishweshwara or Vishwanath. The district website says the temple is also known as the Golden Temple and is dedicated to Lord Shiva, the presiding deity of the city. It also records the belief that Varanasi is the point where the first jyotirlinga, a pillar of light, broke through the earth.
The present temple
According to the Trust’s history page, the temple in its present shape was built in 1780 by Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore. The same page says that in 1839 two of the temple’s domes were covered with gold donated by Maharaja Ranjeet Singh of Punjab. The page also says the Government of Uttar Pradesh took over the temple on 28 January 1983, and that its management has since been entrusted to a Trust.
Visiting from Hotel Vinayak Plaza
Our hotel is in south Varanasi, about 4.7 km by road from Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Google Maps showed about 30 minutes on 5 October 2026 (the fastest route at the time of reading); traffic varies. It is a ride, not a walk. For planning a darshan trip from the hotel, see staying for Kashi Vishwanath darshan, or 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.
Questions about visiting Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Is Kashi Vishwanath open today, and is it ever closed?
The Trust’s pages name no weekly closing day, and its Important Notices page says timings can change on Purnima, eclipses and other special occasions (read on 11 October 2026). See “Is the temple open today?” above for the daily hours and how to check on the day.
What are the aarti timings at Kashi Vishwanath?
All three Trust pages start the Sapta Rishi Aarti at 7:00 PM and the Shringar/Bhog Aarti at 9:00 PM. Mangala Aarti starts at 3:00 AM on two pages and 2:45 AM on the third, and the Mid-day Bhog Aarti at 11:15 AM or 11:30 AM depending on the page. Read on 11 October 2026.
What is Sugam Darshan at Kashi Vishwanath, and how much does it cost?
It is a paid darshan option on the Trust’s booking page; what it includes, as the Trust’s FAQ describes it, is set out under “Sugam Darshan: what it includes and how to book” above. The Trust’s booking page listed it at 300 (no currency sign shown) on 11 October 2026, and the Trust’s FAQ gives Rs 300 per person. Book it only on the Trust’s website, app or counters.
How do I book Mangala Aarti?
Book on the Trust’s website or app, or at its Help Desk; the booking page listed the ticket at 500 on 11 October 2026. The FAQ gives a reporting time of 2:30 AM at Gate No. 1, and says aarti bookings cannot be cancelled and puja dates cannot be changed.
Is there VIP darshan at Kashi Vishwanath?
The Trust’s booking page lists Sugam Darshan and aarti tickets; for protocol requests its notices page gives the email protocol@shrikashivishwanath.org. See “VIP and protocol requests” above.
Is there a separate darshan time for local residents?
The Trust’s Important Notices page gives a timing for local devotees of 4:00 AM to 5:00 AM. It does not say what proof of residence is needed, so ask at the Trust’s help desk.
Who built the Kashi Vishwanath Temple?
According to the Trust’s history page, the temple in its present shape was built in 1780 by Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore. The same page says two of its domes were covered with gold donated by Maharaja Ranjeet Singh in 1839.
Sources and last checked
All Temple Trust pages were re-read on 11 October 2026; the district and Incredible India pages were also re-read that day. Timings and prices can change without notice. If you notice something out of date, please contact us. For more of the city, see our Varanasi guide.