Kashi Vishwanath Temple is one of the most famous Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and is located in Varanasi, the Holiest existing Place of Hindus, where at least once in life a Hindu is expected to do pilgrimage, and if possible, also pour the remains (ashes) of cremated ancestors here on the River Ganges. The main deity is known by the name Vishwanatha or Vishweshwara meaning the Ruler of the universe. The temple town that claims to be the oldest living city in the world, with 3500 years of documented history.
However, the original Jyotirlinga of Kashi Vishwanath is not available. The old temple was destroyed as a result of the Mughal invasion. Historical records suggest that it was destroyed many times by Muslim rulers. The first Muslim invader to attack Varanasi was Ahmed Nihalidin, the governor of the Indian province of the Ghazani empire, in the 11th century. His aim was to acquire the wealth accumulated in the temples of Varanasi. Later, Qutub-ud-din Aibak of the slave dynasty invaded the city and more than 1000 temples are said to have been destroyed in this onslaught.
After the defeat of Ibrahim Lodi in 1526, the city passed under the control of Afghans but was later captured by the Moghul ruler Babur. In 1539, it was captured by Sher Shah Suri. In the tolerant regime of Akbar, many temples and other structure were rebuilt by Hindu kings in Varanasi.
Raja Todar mal, one of the "jewels" in Akbar's court, constructed a new temple on the site of the destroyed Vishwanath temple in 1585. This was again destroyed by Aurangzeb in 1669 while on his way to conquer the Deccan. Aurangzeb got a mosque constructed in its place named as Gyanvapi. The Kashi Vishweshwar temple as we see it now was built by Ahalya Devi Holkar in 1777 AD. In 1785 AD, then King of Kashi, Mansaram and his son Belvant Singh built many more temples near Varanasi. In 1755 AD, the Avadh pantof pratinidhi (representative) got the old temple of Bindumadhava repaired and renovated it beautifully. The kalabhairava temple was built by Srimant Baji Rao Peshwa in 1852 AD.
King Ranjit Singh had the Kashi Vishwanath temple towers covered in gold. A huge bell hangs in the temple. It was donated by the King of Nepal.
Adjacent to the temple is the Gyanvapi Masjid, which was built by Auragzeb on the remnants of the original temple. Material from the destroyed temple was reused by Aurangzeb while building the Gyanvapi Mosque. The mosque shows evidence of original Hindu temple in its foundation, columns and rear. The old temple wall was also incorporated as part of the walls of the mosque. The deliberately retained remnants of the temple are described to be "a warning and an insult to Hindu feelings".
The Gyanvapi — the well of knowledge — is situated between the temple and the mosque. The well is believed by Hindus to be the location where the sacred Shiva linga icon of the temple was hidden, Main Mahant (preist) of the temple sacrificed his life and jumped into the well with the original Shivalinga to save it from Aurangzeb, before the temple was razed by Aurangzeb. Earlier there were a many more Shiva temples in the vicinity of this temple. Sadly they were razed by the muslim invaders. Aurangzeb continued the tradition of demolition. He pulled down the temple here and raised Gyanvapi Mosque.
The remnants of the original Vishwanath temple are revered by the devout Hindus as Shrinagar Gauri, the abode of Lord Mahadev. Muslims offer namaz in the premises of the Gyanvapi masjid but not in the main hall.
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