Shri Vishwanath Mandir (New Vishwanath Temple), BHU
Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Deities
- Vishwanath (Shiva)
- Traditions
- shaiva
- Worship status
- active
- Coordinates
- 25.265, 82.9913
- Darshan hours
- Varies by temple and season; consult the temple's own trust/management for the current daily schedule before visiting.
- Best time to visit
- October to March; Maha Shivaratri is the major festival.
- How to reach
- Inside the Banaras Hindu University campus, about 1.7 km southwest of the main gate; reachable by road/auto-rickshaw within Varanasi.
- Festivals
- Maha Shivaratri (February/March)
Location
Open in Google MapsDistinct from the older Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi’s old city (which was repeatedly destroyed by invaders over some 900 years, with documented attacks from 1194 CE onward), this temple was conceived by educationist Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, founder of Banaras Hindu University, as a serene, uninterrupted space for worship within the university campus itself. Construction, funded by the Birla family, began in March 1931 and continued for 35 years, completing in 1966. The 77-meter marble structure houses nine internal shrines and has the text of the Bhagavad Gita inscribed on its inner walls, and — unlike the older city temple — remains open to visitors of all backgrounds without the access restrictions that apply to the original.
Sources
- historical record: Cross-checked against Wikipedia's New Vishwanath Temple article: confirms Madan Mohan Malaviya's conception, Birla-family funding, the March 1931-1966 construction span, and the temple's height and internal Bhagavad Gita inscriptions.