In the same way eight forms of Bhairavs were created who were positioned at various places in Kashi.  These Bhairavs protect the devotees from all sorts of evils and give the devotees happiness and prosperity in their lives.

Devotees who worship these Bhairavs will develop a strong mental frame work and will be courageous.

RIVER GANGA

Supreme Sage (Raja Rishi) King Bhageerath was suffering from a curse of a Brahmin.  He underwent intense penance to Lord Shiva and brought River Ganga to earth.  After the deluge, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvaty appeared on the earth and Lord Vishnu also manifested in Kashi. (Kindly refer to Manikarnika).  With his Sudarshan Chakra, Lord Vishnu dug a huge Pond and filled it with his divine perspiration.  This Kund came to be known as Chakrapushkarini Teerth. Lord Shiva’s jewel from the ear tops fell in the Chakrapushkarini Teerth and then onwards the  Pond used to be called Manikarnika (jewel is referred to as Mani and Karnika means ear). When river Ganga started flowing through Kashi, the Avimukta Kshetra became all the more pious.   

River Ganga possesses the religious power of all the Sacred Ponds, Rivers and Lakes in the world put together.  A devotee who bathes for even once in River Ganga derives the benefit of bathing in all the Sacred Ponds and performing all rituals elsewhere.   It is believed that a person may take his bath anywhere, but at the time of bathing if he utters the words “Ganga, Ganga”, he derives the benefit of bathing in Holy Ganga.

Ganga-another view

River Ganga destroys the devotee’s sins committed knowingly or unknowingly. A devotee who always thinks about Holy Ganga while walking, sitting, praying, concentrating, eating or sleeping attains freedom from bondage.  A devotee who religiously performs the rituals for his forefathers in Holy Ganga makes his forefathers very happy and they remain satisfied for many decades.  Just as worshipping one Shiv Ling gives the benefit of worshipping the entire world, taking bath in River Ganga gives the benefit of bathing in all the Sacred Ponds in the world.

A devotee who bathes in River Ganga and worships Shiv Ling, derives much more benefits than undergoing various rituals like religious fasting, donation, intense penance and austerity, Havans (rituals with fire etc.).  Wantingly or unwantingly, if a person touches fire, he will get burnt; similarly wantingly or unwantingly if a devotee bathes in Holy  Ganga, the river swallows all his sins.

A devotee gets some amount of Punya (purification acquired by virtuous deeds) by bathing in Ganga, he will derive the same amount of Punya by guiding or directing another person to bathe in Ganga.   By bathing once in River Ganga, a devotee derives the benefit of performing Aswa Medha Yagya (horse sacrifice ritual).  If a person bathes in Holy Ganga for one month, he will reside with Lord Indra.  If a fortunate person bathes in Holy Ganga for a year, he will reach Lord Vishnu’s abode.  If a sincere devotee bathes in River Ganga during his entire life, he attains Moksha and highest order in life.  For bathing in Ganga one need not observe auspicious time (Muhurat) etc., because no such rules apply for Holy Ganga.

If a person, with sincere devotion to his forefathers, bathes in Ganga and performs Abhishek of Shiv Ling with Holy Ganga Water, does a great service to his forefathers and even if they are residing in Hell (on account of their evil deeds etc.), they will be pushed to Heaven. (Abhishek means pouring of Holy water or any other ingredient like milk on Lord’s idol, Shiv Ling etc.).

Any kind of donation, alms or gifts given on the Banks of Holy Ganga will yield multiple results.  If a devotee donates one cow and calf to a deserving person, he will certainly reach Heaven.  Besides, during his life time, he will never face any shortage of wealth and food grains.  On the banks of River Ganga, if a devotee donates a small quantity of gold to a learned Brahmin, he will be respected and worshipped wherever he lives.  In the Kashi Yatra undertaken by South Indians, a final ritual is Ganga Pooja and Dampati (married couple) Pooja.  Ganga Pooja as the words imply is worship/prayers to Holy River Ganga and in Dampati Pooja, the devotee honours a married couple who have dedicated their lives to Kashi.  Among other things, a small quantity of gold is donated to such couple.

Bathing in Holy Ganga on the birth day will absolve the devotee of all his sins.  Taking bath in the river in Vaisaka Month, Shravan Month and Kartik Month will yield multiple results.  Amavasya is indeed is a good day for such deed.  On all Sankarantis, taking bath in Holy Ganga will yield benefit which is thousand times of  the normal day.  (There are twelve Rashis or houses in the Galaxy, starting from Mesha, Rishabh and upto Meen.  When Surya enters Mesha Rashi, it is Mesha Sankaranti, if it enters Rishabh, it is Rishabh Sankaranti.  The most important Sankaranti is Makar Sankaranti when Surya enters Makar Rashi). The Sankaranti days generally fall around 14^th or 15^th of each month.  This can be ascertained from the religious almanac (Panchang).  At the time of Solar or Lunar Eclipse, if a devotee bathes in Ganga he will derive the benefits which will be One Lakh times of the normal day.

In Chapter 28, Lord Skanda narrates what Lord Shiva told Lord Vishnu about the religious powers of River Ganga.  When a devotee performs rituals for his forefathers with Til (black sesame seeds), his fore fathers gently enter heaven (if they are already not there). If they are already there, they get better positions.  They will stay in heaven for that many number of years, depending on the number of Til Seeds as have been used in the rituals.  His forefathers may have committed so many sins which the devotee may not know, they may be facing the ordeals in various parts of Hell like Kumbi Pakam, Rauravam, Tamisram etc.  But if a devotee performs their rituals in River Ganga as prescribed, they are certain to get released from the Hell and slowly but surely travel towards heaven.

River Ganga is pure and carrying religious power, but her power increased in the Holy city of Kashi where she is Uttara Vahini (flowing northwards).  When Ganga entered with a force in Kashi, Lord Shiva threw his Trishul (Trident) just before the entry point of Kashi, whereby the river somewhat slowed down.  Ganga also promised Lord Shiva that she will always remain in Kashi and serve its denizens.  Therefore, Ganga is perennial in Kashi whereas in other places, it is not so.

If a person dies in Kashi he attains Moksha.  If a person dies in other places, but his body is cremated in Kashi then also he attains Moksha.  Similarly, a person may have died and cremated elsewhere but if his ashes and bones (Asthi) are immersed in Holy Ganga, he will reach heaven.  The benefits of immersing bones and ashes in Ganges have been covered elsewhere.

If a person stays far away from Kashi and desires to have the benefit of  bathing in Ganga, Kashi Khand has prescribed Ganga Sahasranam.  (Sahasra means thousand, nam means name).  These are thousand different names by which Holy River Ganga has been eulogized.

Therefore, South Indians who perform Kashi Yatra generally stay for minimum two days or even three days in Varanasi (Kashi).  One ritual is Madhyannika Manikarnika Snanam (bathing in Manikarnika in the Noon) and other ritual is Pinda Daan (rituals for forefathers) in five Ghats viz. Assi, Dasaswamedh, Manikarnika, Panchganga and Varuna. While performing the Pancha Ghatta Pindam (ritual in five important Ghats), some Yatris take bath only once and in the remaining Ghats, they merely sprinkle water on their heads.  The compiler appeals to all devotees, who visit Kashi for their religious rituals, to sincerely bathe in all the five Ghats and take Madhyannika Manikarnika Snanam with all divinity.  At the time of performing these rituals, the compiler requests them to think of their departed father/parents (as the case may be) and forefathers.

Given above is the brief write up of River Ganga.  If we give a word by word translation of River Ganga’s divinity, it may consume more than 40 pages.

The write up is brief, temple-wise, in a very easy to understand language to enable the readers to get a glimpse of the temples’ details as per Kashi Khand. The temples finding place in the site are those which find mention in Kashi Khand. The compiler also proposes, in future, to give details of other temples also.

It is an attempt to bring the details given in Purana with the practical aspect (location of temple, approach etc.)

While every effort has been made to keep the contents of the site easy to read as also interesting, the compiler will certainly be pleased to receive any suggestions from readers in this regard.  The compiler requests the readers to go through the site, and worship as many temples as possible in Kashi (when they visit Kashi) so that they can seek the blessings of various Gods and Goddesses.

While the location of the temple, approach etc. will not change, the timings of the temple may vary as per the season, the name of Priest or the Cell number may change over a period of time.  Further, the compiler has spared no effort to give proper details. The compiler is open for any kind of correction pointed out by readers if there is any unintentional mistake.  However, the compiler does not take any responsibility for any unintentional mistakes.

HOW TO NAVIGATE UNDER TEMPLE DETAILS

On the right hand side there are various categories like A. Introduction, About Kashi Khand, Importance of immersion of Mortal Remains (Asthi) in Ganga, Kashi Yatra performed by  South Indians and Temples worshipped as Jyotirlings in Kashi, which do not have any square or arrow like triangles to the left.  If a reader clicks on any of these, the respective page will open on the left.

Categories like Aditya Temples, Bhairav Temples, Devi Temples, Importance of River Ganga, Vinayak Temples and Vishnu Temples have sub categories. If  a reader clicks on   any of the foregoing categories, individual sub-categories will open. Again, if a reader clicks on any of the sub-categories, the respective page will open on the left. Wherever there are Square symbols (or symbol of arrow like triangle), these denote sub-categories inside. The final sub-category does not contain any square or triangle symbols,  which when clicked will reveal the respective page.

For Example : Shiva Temples contains five sub-categories. If a reader clicks on the square (or arrow triangle symbol) in front of Shiva Temples, the five sub-categories will open.  If  these sub-categories are clicked, further list of individual temples will open.  Again, if a reader clicks on any of the individual temple, the respective page will open on the left. There are more than 180 Shiva temples in all.

Once the square (or triangle symbol)  is clicked, there will be a inverted triangle displayed. If a reader keeps the mouse on the inverted triangle or nearby for a brief moment the words “click to collapse” will appear. Just left click on the mouse. The sub-categories will collapse.

(Recitation by Pt. Nageshwara Rao of Hyderabad

Please put on the speakers attached to your System  and click on the mp3 file above).

Please Note : Baijnatheshwar and Grishneshwar have been covered under Tripuranthakeshwar.

Narayanan Gopalakrishnan, Mumbai

Shri Narayanan Gopalakrishnan of Vivek Vidyalaya, Goregaon,  Mumbai highly appreciates the work done by the compiler and her family in giving the details of temples of Kashi worshipped as Jyotirling. He wishes the compiler all success in her endeavours.

i)          Maha Prayaschittam.

ii)         Maha Sankalpam

iii)        Manikarnika Snanam

iv)        Pancha Ghatta Pindam

v)         Ganga Pooja/Dampati Pooja

vi)        Vishwanatha Abhishekham

vii)        Annapoorna/Vishalakshi Archanai

viii)       Kala Bhairava Samaradhanai

ix)        Worship of Panch Kowdi Mata temple which is located opposite Durga Temple on the way to Kabir Nagar Colony.

The above rituals may normally take 2-3 days. Three days would be ideal and if only 2 days are allotted, some rites or rituals might have to be cut short.  Regarding importance of Manikarnika Snanam and Pancha Ghatta Pindam, readers may please refer to our write up of five important ghats elsewhere. The five ghats are Assi, Dasaswamedh, Manikarnika, Panchganga and Varuna. Since Varuna Ghat is far off, they generally perform the last pindam in Trilochan Ghat. Regarding the temples mentioned above, devotees may kindly go through the respective temples’ write up.

According to Kashi Khand, Chapter 28, Lord Shiva was describing to Goddess Parvaty the importance of River Ganga.  A long time back there was a Brahmin named Vahikan. Though he had adorned the sacred thread (Yagyopaveeth), he neither observed any rituals nor followed any code of conduct prescribed for Brahmins.  He never uttered any prayers. He was never interested in chanting vedic hymns and he married a girl from out of his caste.

Once there was a severe famine and left with no alternative he and his wife left their home for greener pastures.  On the way they had to cross a forest, where he was attacked and killed by a tiger.  A vulture saw his dead body,  took a piece of his leg and flew away.  In the sky, it encountered another vulture who fought with the first vulture for sharing a piece of flesh and in the scuffle one small piece of flesh and bone fell below.  It so happened that coincidentally both the vultures were flying over the River Ganga and the piece of bone fell into the holy river.

After Vahikan’s death, the attendants of Yam Raj took him and produced before Yam Raj.  Chitragupta listed out the evil doings  by Vahikan.  Kashi Khand has described in detail the misdeeds and sins committed by the dead person. Accordingly Yam Raj ordained that Vahikan should be awarded the severest of all punishments and he should go through the travails of various hells like Raurava, Anda Tamisra, Kumbi Paka, Krimi Bhojana etc.

Just when Vahikan was about to suffer the punishments, his bones fell into the River Ganga following a fight between the vultures. Several celestial damsels from Heaven (Apsaras) descended on the earth and took Vahikan, who had now assumed a divine form, to heaven.  This shows the power of immersion of bones in the River Ganga.

To this day, people immerse the Asthi of their departed relatives in Holy River Ganga.

Kashi Khand has described the power of water from Gyan Vapi in Chapters 33 and 34. One Princess Kalawati was presented a map of Kashi and when she happened to touch the Gyan Vapi in the map with her finger, she could recollect the events that had occurred in her previous birth.

Elsewhere Kashi Khand has amply described the good effects of Gyan Vapi water in various chapters. A devotee who takes bath in Gyan Vapi and performs rituals for his forefathers will make them extremely happy and even if they are rotting in hell, they are certain to reach the heaven.

However, in the present day scenario, with heavy police patrolling, it may not be possible to freely engage in such activities.  However, devotees can have darshan of the Gyan Vapi, take some water therefrom for sprinkling over their heads or consumption as Prasad.

Of all Teerths, Lolark has been given great importance.  Taking bath in Lolark Teerth (now Lolark Kund), performing pooja etc., at this place is considered to be very beneficial to devotees.

Important days for Lolark Kund as observed by the devotees are Margsirsh month, Shukla Paksha Shashti or Saptmi (conjoined with Sunday), Magha month, Shukla Paksha Saptmi (Rath Saptmi).

Our enquiries reveal that no one takes regular bath in this Kund.  However, there is a huge crowd on special days, as above.

Devotees come to this Kund to worship Lolark Aditya. The approach to the Kund is well constructed with steps leading down from three places.  On the fourth side, the kund takes the shape of a well.

Lolark Kund

Devotees who visit Kashi, can combine visit of this place alongwith Durga Devi temple which is about 1 km. in proximity.

According to Kashi Khand, in ancient times one devotee of Kapardeeshwar named Valmiki was residing nearby.  One day a hideous and cruel looking Pishach/demon (ghost) appeared and told Valmiki that he (Pishach) was once residing near the banks of the holy river Godavari and had committed many sins.  He learnt that a person who lives in Holy places and commits sins, attains Pishach Yoni and his present appearance was due to his past sins.  He appealed to Valmiki to help him.

Valmiki was all the while chanting Shiv Sahasranam(thousand praises of Lord Shiva) and advised the Pishach to take bath in Vimal Kund and pray to Lord Kapardeeshwar.  The pishach did as he was told and   attained Mukti.  After that, Valmiki gave him vibhuti (sacred ash) to be smeared on his forehead and the Pishach followed his instructions. The value of smearing vibhuti on the forehead is amply described in Kashi Khand inasmuch as a person who smears vibhuti in his forhead is safe from untimely death and mishappenings.

After the Pishach attained Mukti, the above Vimal kund came to be called as Pishachmochan Kund (Kashi Khand chapter 54). This huge kund is still existing in the present day and fairly well maintained. 

VIMAL TEERTH (PISACH MOCHAN TALAB):VARANASI-TEMPLES.COM

People visit this Pishachmochan Kund for performing Pind Daan (Shraaddh/ rituals for their forefathers). Visiting this place is considered very auspicious during Magh month (January – Feb), Shukla Chaturdasi (one day before Amavasya).

Shri Kamlesh Tiwari is available at the place and he can be contacted on his Cell number (0)9918989066 for doing any special pooja. Shri Tiwari is also available for helping devotees to perform any rituals for their forefathers at Pishachmochan Kund.

During Kashi Khand days, this Teerth must have been very big but now it is existing in the form of a Koop (Well). Pilpila Koop is located near Trilochaneshwar temple.  The compiler visited the place on Akshay Triteeya day (a very auspicious day when many people take bath in the Koop).  The compiler took bath with the water drawn from the well and were given to understand that there is a huge crowd on the above auspicious day.

Pilpila Teerth (Koop)

On Akshay Triteeya day, taking bath in Pilpila Teerth and having darshan of Trilochaneshwar and Madhusudan (Vaman Keshav) is considered very auspicious and compiler was lucky enough to go through the pious ritual as mentioned above.

During the other days, the place remains open for about one hour or so and at times it remains closed also.