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TRANSCRIPT
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 of cremated ancestors on the River
Ganges. The temple is in Varanasi
(erstwhile Kashi) the state of Uttar Pradesh,
India.continued on page 12
The twelve jyotirlinga are Somnath in Gujarat, Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andra Pradesh, Mahakaleswar at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh, Kedarnath in Himalayas, Bhimashankar in Maharashtra, Viswanath at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Triambakeshwar in Maharashtra, Vaidyanath at Deogarh in Jharkand, Nageswar at Dwarka in Gujarat, Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and Grishneshwar at Aurangabad in Maharashtra.
This article along with captions and box items is based/adapted/excerpted from the book Banaras: City of Light by Diana Eck, religious scholar and Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies at Harvard University.
Kashi Vishwanath
The India we see at Kashi Vishwanath and also at Kashi reflects the elaborate and ancient ritual tradition of Hinduism. It is a tradition of
pilgrimage to scared places, bathing in sacred waters and honoring divine images. It is a tradition in which all of the senses are employed in the
apprehension of the divine. Its shrines are heaped with fresh flowers and filled with the smell of incense, the chanting of prayers and the ringing
of bells. It is a tradition that has and images God in a thousand ways, that has been adept in discovering the presence of the divine everywhere
and in bringing every aspect of human life into the religious arena. It is a religious tradition that understands life and death as a religious whole.
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Are there not many holy places on this earth?
Yet which of them would equal in the balance one speck of Kashi’s dust?
Are there not many rivers running to the sea?
Yet which of them is like the River of Heaven (Ganges) in Kashi?
Are there not many fields of liberation on earth?
Yet no one equals the smallest part of the city never forsaken by Shiva.
The Ganges, Shiva and Kashi: Where this trinity is watchful,
no wonder here is found the grace that leads one on to perfect bliss
- Skanda Purana - Kashi Khand (35, 7-10)
continued from page 10
Kaal Bhairav Varanasi
Bhairava, sometimes known as Kaala Bhairava, KalBhairab, Annadhaani Bhairava (In
Karnataka) Bhairo or Bhairon or Bhairadya or Bheruji (In Rajasthan), Kaal Bhairava,
KaalaBhairavar or Vairavar (In Tamil), is the fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva associated
with annihilation. He is one of the most important deities of Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and
Nepal who originated in Hindu mythology and is sacred to Hindus, Buddhists and Jains
alike.
The origin of Bhairava can be traced to the conversation between Lord Brahma and Lord
Vishnu recounted in "Shiv Maha-Puran" where Lord Vishnu asks Lord Brahma who is the
supreme creator of the Universe. Arrogantly, Brahma tells Vishnu to worship him because
he (Brahma) is the supreme creator. This angered Shiva who then incarnated in the form
of Bhairava to punish Brahma. Bhairava beheaded one of Brahma's five heads and since
then Brahma has only four heads. When depicted as Kala Bhairava, Bhairava is shown
carrying the decapitated head of Brahma. Cutting off Brahma's fifth head made him guilty
of the crime of killing a Brahmin(Brahmahatyapap), and as a result, he had to carry around
the decapitated skull for twelve years and roam as Bhikshatana, a mendicant, until he had
been absolved of the sin.
His temples or shrines are present within or near most Jyotirlinga temples, the sacred
twelve shrines dedicated to Shiva across India, including Kashi Vishwanath Temple,
Varanasi and the Mahakaleshwar Temple at Ujjain, where at the KalBhairav Temple, he is
worshipped by the Kapalika and Aghori sects of Shaivism, here one can also find the
PatalBhairav and Vikrant Bahirav shrines.
Kaal Bhairava temples can also be found around Shakti Peethas, as it is said Shiva
allocated the job of guarding each of 52 Shakti Peethas to one Bhairava. As such it is said
there are 52 forms of Bhairava, which are in fact considered as manifestation of Shiva
himself.
Traditionally KalBhairav is the Gramadevata in the rural villages of [Karnataka],
Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, where he is referred to as "Bhaivara/Annadhani" Vairavar.
In Karnataka, Lord Bhairava is the supreme god for the Vokkaliga community commonly
referred as "Gowdas", especially for the GangadikaraGowda caste he is considered as
the care taker and punisher.
In the form of the frightful Bhairava, Shiva is said to be guarding each of these
Shaktipeeths. Each Shaktipeeth temple is accompanied by a temple dedicated to
Bhairava.
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Most important is the linga of light itself – the image of the supremacy of Shiva. It is what Merica Eliade has called the axis mundi, the pillar at the center of the world, originating deep in the netherworlds, cracking the surface of the earth, and splitting the roof of the sky. In this linga, Shiva is not one god among others, but the unfathomable One. In this “partless” form , Shiva, transcends even Shiva himself, in embodied “partial” form. This is not Shiva, beautiful or ugly, dressed in silks or tiger skins, wearing the crescent moon or the necklace of skulls. This light is the mystreium tremendum which finally cannot be described or comprehended by any one or all faces and attributes.
God KalBhairav is believed as Kotwal Of Varanasi without his permission no one can stay in Kashi
13
continued from page 10
The temple stands on the western bank of
the holy river Ganges, and is one of the
twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest of Shiva
temples. The main deity is known by the
name Vishwanatha or Vishweshwara
meaning Ruler of the universe.
The Kashi Vishwanath temple has been
destroyed and rebuilt a number of times.
The Gyanvapi Mosque, which is adjacent to
the Kashi Vishwanath temple, is the original
site of the temple before it was destroyed by
Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. and a mosque
built upon its ruins.
The name of the mosque is Alamgiri Mosque
but it is popularly known as 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 Kashi Vishwanath Temple was rebuilt in
1780 besides the mosque and the two
structures have existed in harmony since
then, separated by a barricade of iron staves
and chicken wire.
The Gyanvapi - the well of knowledge - is
Varanasi Golden Temple
The current structure of Kashi Vishwanath temple is built by the Maratha monarch, Ahilya
Bai Holkar of Indore in 1780. The temple is also known as the Golden temple of Varanasi
because the two domes of the temple are covered with gold. The gold used to cover the two
domes was donated by the Punjab Kesari, the Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who ruled the
Punjab.
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, before the
temple was razed by Aurangzeb.
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The Kashi Vishwanath temple has been destroyed and rebuilt a number of times. The Gyanvapi Mosque, which is adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, is the original site of the temple before it was destroyed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. and a mosque built upon its ruins.
16
The current temple structure was built by the
Maratha monarch, Ahilya Bai Holkar of
Indore in 1780. The temple is also known as
the Golden temple because the two domes
of the temple are covered with gold. The
gold used to cover the two domes was
donated by the Punjab Kesari, the Sikh
Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who ruled the
Punjab.
Since 1983, the temple has been managed
by the government of Uttar Pradesh. During
the religious occasion of Shivratri, Kashi
Naresh (King of Kashi) is the chief officiating
priest and no other person or priest is
allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum. It
is only after he performs his religious
functions that others are allowed to enter.
The temple complex consists of a series of
smaller shrines, located in a small lane
called the Vishwanatha Galli, near the river.
The linga of the main deity at the shrine is 60
cm tall and 90 cm in circumference housed
in a silver altar. There are small temples for
Kaalbhairav, Dhandapani, Avimukteshwara,
Vishnu, Vinayaka, Sanishwara, Virupaksha
continued from page 12
Manikarnika Ghat - Kashi
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Manikarnika Ghat is the primary cremation ghat in Varanasi.The well at the ghat is called
ManikarnikaKund and was built by Lord Vishnu
and VirupakshGauri in the complex. There is
a small well in the temple called the Jnana
Vapi (the wisdom well) and it is believed that
the Jytorlinga was hidden in the well to
protect it at the time of invasion. It is said that
the main priest of the temple jumped in the
well with the Shiv Ling in order to protect the
Jyotirlinga from invaders.
The temple is widely recognized as one of
the most important places of worship in
Hindu religion and most of the leading Hindu
saints, including AdiSankaracharya,
Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Swami
Vivekananda, Goswami Tulsidas, Swami
Dayananda Saraswati and Gurunanak have
visited the site.
A visit to the temple and a bath in the river
Ganges is one of many methods believed to
lead one on a path to Moksha (liberation).
Thus, people from all over the nation try to
visit the place at least once in their lifetime.
There is also a tradition that one should give
up at least one desire after a pilgrimage to
the temple, and the pilgrimage should also
include a visit to the temple at Rameswaram
in South India, where people take water
samples of the Ganges to perform prayers
at the temple and bring back sand from the
beaches near that temple.
Due to the immense popularity and holiness
of Kashi Vishwanath temple, hundreds of
temples across the nation have been built in
the same architectural style. Many legends
record that the true devotee achieves
freedom from death and sa? sâra by the
worship of Shiva, Shiva's devotees on death
being directly taken to his abode on Mount
Kailash by his messengers and not to Yama.
The story of the fiery linga begins and ends in Kashi. In Kashi mythology this is the place where the light split the earth and this is the place called Kapalamochana Tirtha, “Where the skull fell”
The superiority of Shiva and his victory over his own nature - Shiva is himself identified with death - is also stated. There is a popular belief that Shiva himself blows the mantra of salvation into the ears of people who choose to end their lives at the Vishwanath temple.
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Lingam in the cave at Amarnath
1008 Lingas carved on a rock surfaceat the shore of the river Tungabhadra, Hampi, India
AshtaBhairava murthy lingas Koonanchery
Sivalingam at the Sri Meenakshi temple in MaduraiLingam at Jambukesvara temple in Srirangam
Some Prominent Lingas
continued from page 14
The Lingas
The Lingas
Lingas are of two kinds: those that can be
moved from place to place (chalaligas) and
those that cannot (achala linga). One can
buy a small portable linga in the market to
use for daily worship at home.Or one might
wear such a linga around the neck, as do the
members of the Vira Shiva or Lingayat sect.
A momentary (kshanika) is also movable: a
small linga hand fashioned of clay in which
Shiva is invited to dwell for the moment of
worship and which is removed away to the
Ganges or some another stream at the
conclusion of worship. The kshanika linga
dramatizes the Hindu understanding of
divine images: they are a focal point of
worship, a lens for darshanaand for a time
they are imbued with the full presence and
power of the Divine.
Of the non-moving lingas , there are two
kinds. First there are the swayambhu lingas,
which are said to have emerged
miraculously from the earth as hierophanies
of Shiva.( The term "hierophany" appears
frequently in the works of the religious
historian MirceaEliade as an alternative to
the more restrictive term "theophany" (an
appearance of a god). Eliade argues that
religion is based on a sharp distinction
between the sacred (God, gods, mythical
ancestors, etc.) and the profane. According
to Eliade, for traditional man, myths
describe "breakthroughs of the sacred (or
the 'supernatural') into the World" – that is,
hierophanies. (In the hierophanies recorded
in myth, the sacred appears in the form of
i d e a l m o d e l s ( t h e a c t i o n s a n d
commandments of gods, heroes, etc.).
By manifesting itself as ideal models, the
sacred gives the world value, direction, and
purpose: "The manifestation of the sacred
ontologically founds the world" According to
this view, all things need to imitate or
conform to the sacred models established
by hierophanies in order to have true reality:
to traditional man, things "acquire their
reality, their identity, only to the extent of
their participation in a transcendent reality".)
One enumeration claims that there are sixty-
eight such self-manifested lingas in India,
but in fact there are thousands of lingas
which people call swayambhu , affirming
that the Lord has appeared here by Divine
initiative. Second there are sthapita lingas
which have been established by people,
sages or gods. When they are consecrated ,
Shiva is invited to take up residence in the
linga. Such lingas go by the name of their
establisher as well as by the name of Shiva:
Ishwara or Isha, literally , the Lord.
Thus the linga established by Brahma is
Brahmeshvara and that established by the
moon, Chandra, is Chandreshwara. The
established linga partakes of the nature of
the establisher as well as that of Shiva.
Chandreshwara is especially associated
with Mondays, the day of the moon. The
linga of the yogi Jaigishavya called
Jaigishavyeshvara, is particularly honored
to obtain the high yogic attainments realized
by its founder. Despite their multiplicity,
Shiva is said to be present in all these lingas.
In the Kashi Khand, Shiva speaks to Parvati
of the multiplicity of lingas, both in numbers
and in kind, in Kashi.
Lord Shiva on The Multiplicity Of Lingas
There are uncounted lingas in the Forest of
Bliss ( Anandavana – ancient name of
Kashi), O Parvati. Some are material and
others are of a subtle or spiritual nature.
They are made of various gems, made of
many elements, made of stone. Many are
self-born and many are established by gods
and sages….
Those that have been established here are
the cause of liberation. Some are not visible,
some are visible and some are rather in a
miserable state . Even those that are broken
down by the ravages of time are still to be
worshipped, fair Parvati. One time I counted
a hundred billion of them. Six million of them
stand in the waters of the Ganges, those
lingas bestow yogic achievement and have
become invisible now in the Kali Age, O
Goddess. And of course those lingas that
were established here by my devotes after
the day I counted have not been counted at
all.
Above photos are of following Jyotirlingas
O m k a r e s h w a r , Va i d y a n a t h a ,
V i s h w a n a t h a , B h i m a s h a n k a r a ,
Triyambakeshwara, Ghushmeshara
Above photos are of fo l lowing
Jyotirlingas, Nageshwara, Mallikarjuna,
Mahakaleshwara, Chandikeshwara, and
Kalabhairava
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continued from page 13
The superiority of Shiva and his victory over
his own nature—Shiva is himself identified
with death—is also stated. There is a
popular belief that Shiva himself blows the
mantra of salvation into the ears of people
who choose to end their lives at the
Vishwanath temple.
The Kashi Vishwanath temple is located
almost 5 km away from the Varanasi railway
station and almost 6 km from the Banaras
Hindu University. The Kashi Vishwanath
temple receives around 3000 visitors every
day. On certain occasions the numbers
reach 100,000. Today about a thousand
policemen guard the Kashi Vishwanath site.
The jyotirlinga is the supreme “partless”
reality, out of which Shiva may sometimes
appear in bodily form as a “partial” reality.
The myth of the jyotirlinga is of major
importance to the mythology and symbolism
of Kashi, for here in this city that fiery column
of light is said to have appeared.
The story begins with Brahma, the creator,
and Vishnu, the sustainer of the Universe,
arguing about which of them is supreme. In
some accounts of this myth, such as that of
the Kashi Khanda and the Karma Purana,
Brahma and Vishnu call in the four Vedas to
settle the dispute.
The Vedas, however, testify , that neither
Brahma or Vishnu but Shiva is supreme. As
the two stand in disbelief, a huge column of
fire splits the earth between them and
blazes up through the sky to pierce the
highest heavens. Astounded, Brahma and
Vishnu decide to determine source and
extent of this brilliant pillar of light. Vishnu
becomes a boar and burrows deep into the
netherworlds. Brahma mounts his goose
and flies up as far as the heavens reach. But
even after thousands of years they cannot
find the bottom or top of the shaft of light.
When they have returned to the starting
place, Shiva emerges from the light in his
“partial” bodily form. Vishnu honors the Lord,
but Brahma is still conceited and deluded.
In the Shiv Purana version of the myth
Brahma lies about having seen the top of the
pillar and recruits the Ketki flower as a false
The Jyotirlinga Story
witness to support him. In the Kaashi
Khanda vers ion , Brahma speaks
condescendingly to Shiva, as an elder
would speak in recognizing the antics of a
youth. Whatever the cause, Brahma’s
slander against Shiva is punished. Shiva,
taking the fearsome form of Bhairava, cuts
off one of Brahma’s five heads, leaving him
with the four by which he is traditionally
recognized.
However, the skull of Brahma , tangible
evidence of the worst of sins – killing a
Brahmin – sticks to Bhairava’s hand and will
not come loose. Even the Lord must pay for
the sin of killing a Brahmin, so Bhairava
wanders all over India, the skull clinging to
his hand, until he comes finally to Varanasi
(Kashi) where the skull drops and Bhairava
becomes free of that sin … (For more on
Bhairava see Box on page 11)
Most important is the linga of light itself – the
image of the supremacy of Shiva. It is what
Merica Eliade has called the axis mundi , the
pillar at the center of the world, originating
deep in the netherworlds, cracking the
surface of the earth, and splitting the roof of
the sky. In this linga, Shiva is not one god
among others, but the unfathomable One. In
this “partless” form, Shiva, transcends even
Shiva himself, in embodied “partial” form.
This is not Shiva, beautiful or ugly, dressed
in silks or tiger skins, wearing the crescent
moon or the necklace of skulls. This light is
the mystreiumtremendum which finally
cannot be described or comprehended by
any one or all faces and attributes.
The linga of light was the first linga. After that
Shiva vowed that this unfathomable linga
would become small so that people might
have it as an emblem for their worship.
The story of the fiery linga begins and ends
in Kashi. In Kashi mythology this is the place
where the light split the earth and this is the
place called Kapalamochana Tirtha, “Where
the skull fell”.
Next month in the 12 Jyotirling series the
omkareshwar temple.
The Kashi Vishvanath temple complex consists of a series of smaller shrines, located in a small lane called the Vishwanatha Galli, near the river. The linga of the main deity at the shrine is 60 cm tall and 90 cm in circumference housed in a silver altar. There are small temples for Kaalbhairav, Dhandapani, Avimukteshwara, Vishnu, Vinayaka, Sanishwara, Virupaksha and Virupaksh Gauri in the complex. There is a small well in the temple called the Jnana Vapi (the wisdom well) and it is believed that the Jytorlinga was hidden in the well to protect it at the time of invasion. It is said that the main priest of the temple jumped in the well with the Shiv Ling in order to protect the Jyotirlinga from invaders.