Kashi Vishwanath Temple Timings 2026: Full Aarti Schedule

General darshan at Kashi Vishwanath is free and open through most of the day outside the brief midday pause. It runs on a queue system managed through the temple's approach lanes near the Vishwanath Gali and the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, the redeveloped riverside plaza connecting the temple directly to the Ganga ghats.

Attending a specific aarti, particularly the Mangala Aarti, requires a paid ticket booked in advance through the temple's official website, since space directly around the sanctum during aarti time is limited and managed separately from the general darshan queue. Booking windows typically open around fifteen days before the date, and popular aarti slots, especially on weekends and during Shravan month, fill quickly.

Kashi Vishwanath is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the sites where Lord Shiva is worshipped in his manifestation as a divine pillar of light, and is considered among the holiest of all Shiva temples in India. The current structure was built in 1780 by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore, though the site's sacred history in Varanasi, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, stretches back far further. The temple's golden spire, plated with gold donated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the 19th century, is one of Varanasi's most recognisable landmarks along the Ganga skyline.

Most pilgrims reach the temple via Varanasi (Lal Bahadur Shastri) Airport, about 25 km away, roughly 40 minutes by car. Varanasi Cantt, the city's main railway station, is much closer, around 3 km from the temple. From either point, the final approach into the old city lanes around Vishwanath Gali is typically done on foot or by cycle-rickshaw, as vehicle access narrows considerably near the temple itself.