Context

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor connecting the ancient Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi to the ghats of the Ganga.

About

• The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is one of the most famous Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva.
• It is located in Vishwanath Gali of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
• The Temple stands on the western bank of the holy river Ganga, and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, or Jyotirlingams, the holiest of Shiva Temples.
• Varanasi city was called Kashi in ancient times, and hence the temple is popularly called Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
• The Temple has been referred to in Hindu scriptures for a very long time.
• It had been demolished by many Muslim rulers many times, last time It was demolished by Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor who constructed the Gyanvapi Mosque on its site.
• The current structure was built on an adjacent site by the Maratha ruler, Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore in the year 1780.

Download PDF