Ratneshwar Mahadev temple, Varanasi: History, Timings & Visitor Guide

Ratneshwar Mahadev temple is open every day, usually from early morning to late evening with a break in the afternoon. Darshan and aarti timings change with the season and on festival days.

• MorningOpens early morning (around 5 to 6 AM)
• AfternoonShort break around midday at many temples
• EveningEvening aarti around sunset, closes by about 8 to 9 PM

Ask the temple office on arrival for the day's aarti schedule.

Dress Code & Temple Rules

• DressModest, traditional clothes covering shoulders and knees
• FootwearRemove before entering; use the shoe stand
• PhotographyNot allowed inside the sanctum
• Not AllowedLeather items, tobacco, alcohol, non-veg food
• QueueFollow queue lines and staff instructions on festival days

The Temple is also known as Kashi Karvat (Kashi is the ancient name for Varanasi and karvat means leaning in Hindi). The actual time of construction is unknown.

James Prinsep, who was an assay master at the Banaras Mint from 1820 to 1830, created a series of drawings, one of which includes the Ratneshwar Mahadev temple. He commented that when the temple entrance was underwater, the priest used to dive in the water to conduct worship.

Photographs from 1860s do not show the building leaning. Modern photographs show a lean of about nine degrees. The building is likely leaning due to waterlogged foundation.

Architecture of Ratneshwar Mahadev temple

It was built by Aman Dev. The temple is elegantly constructed in the classical style with a Nagara Shikhara and Samvarna mandapa. The site of the temple is very unusual. Unlike all other temples in Varanasi on the banks of Ganga, the temple is built at a very low level. In fact, the water level can reach the shikhara part of the temple.

It is constructed at a very low spot; the builder must have known that its garbhagriha would be underwater for much of the year. In spite of much of the temple being underwater during most of the year, it is well preserved, except for the lean that can be noted in 20th century photos.