Shri Vishwanath Mandir, also known as Vishwanath Mandir, Vishwanath Temple, New Vishwanath Temple, and Birla Temple, is one of the most famous temples and biggest tourist attractions in the holy city of Varanasi. The temple is situated in the Benaras Hindu University and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Shri Vishwanath Mandir has the tallest temple tower in the world with the Vimana's height being around 250 feet.
Spreading divinity and fulfillment, the New Vishwanath Temple in BHU, is definitely worth visiting. The gigantic statue of the great Lord Shiva is the perfect epitome of art and sculpture. Once you are at the place, no qualm is left in your heart. The feeling is even better when you come with gratitude in your heart and peace in your head.
New Vishwanath Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, consisting of nine small temples under the roof of one huge temple. It is open to people from all castes, religions, and religious beliefs. The Shiva temple is on the ground floor and the Lakshmi Narayan and Durga temples are on the first floor.
Other temples within Shri Vishwanath Mandir are Nataraj, Mata Parvati, Lord Ganesha, Panchmukhi Mahadev, Lord Hanuman, Saraswati, and Nandi. The entire text of Bhagavad Gita and extracts from sacred Hindu scriptures are inscribed with illustrations on the inner marble walls of the temple.
New Vishwanath Temple History
Shri Kashi Vishwanath Mandir was destroyed (and reconstructed) several times - in 1194 by Qutb-Ud-Din Aibak, between 1447-1458 by Hussain Shah Sharqi, and then in 1669 CE by Aurangzeb. In the 1930s, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya planned to replicate Shri Kashi Vishwanath Mandir on the campus of Benaras Hindu University. The Birla family undertook the construction and the foundation was laid in March 1931. The temple was finally completed in 1966.
Major Attractions in and Around New Vishwanath Temple
1. Mata Parvati Temple
Beautifully constructed, Mata Parvati Temple is located within the complex of New Vishwanath Temple.
2. Lakshmi Narayan Temple
Another temple of Lakshmi Narayan, leaves you mesmerized with its artistic creation. The statues of Lakshmi and Narayan are a great work of art.
3. Durga Temple
In the Durga Temple, you will see the nine forms of Goddess Durga that were adopted by Goddess Parvati on different occasions for different purposes.
4. Natraj Temple
The temple is dedicated to Natraj, one of the forms of Lord Shiva. This temple has a great vibe and often the visitors have stated that they felt a strong presence inside of the temple.
5. Street Shopping
Varanasi is one of the hubs for the Indian clothing industry, especially Banarasi Saree.
How to Reach New Vishwanath Temple BHU
To reach Vishwanath Temple, Uttar Pradesh you will need to cover a total distance of about 867, 1,485, 673, 1,828 km from other Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru respectively. Check out the following details on how you can reach here by public transport.
By Air
Deboard at the Lal Bhadur Shashtri Airport aka Varanasi Airport (VNS) situated at a distance of about 30-40 km. The airport is well-connected with other Indian cities and sees both connecting and direct flights operating to and fro. From the airport, you will need to cover the remaining distance by some means of public transport.
- From Pune - Board Spicejet, IndiGo flights from Pune Airport. The airfares start from INR 4,000-5,000.
- From Bhubaneswar - Board Vistara, Air India, IndiGo flights from Bhubaneswar Airport. The airfares start from INR 6,000-7,000
- From Chandigarh - Board Air India, IndiGo flights from Chandigarh Airport. The airfares start from INR 4,000-5,000
By Train
Consider deboarding at Varanasi Junction and from there cover the remaining distance of 10 km via some means of locally available means of transport.
- From Guwahati - Board DBRG ASR Express from Guwahati Junction and deboard at Varanasi Junction
- From Kanpur - Board Vande Bharat Spl from Kanpur Central and from there deboard at Varanasi Junction
By Road
Depending upon your location you can easily traverse to this place via road networks as well. To travel here, you can consider taking interstate buses, private cabs or if you prefer traveling at your own pace, then take your own vehicle here.
- From Kanpur - 335 km via NH19
- From Gwalior - 595 km via AH1
- From Prayagraj - 124 km via NH19
You can plan your trip and create your own route to the city with Adotrip’s technically driven circuit planner. Click here
