Beware of scammers on the ghats. Touts and self-styled “guides” or “priests” roam the Ganga ghats and temple lanes, offering VIP darshan, pujas, boat rides or “donations for cremation wood”. Never pay anyone in advance, and never pay for a service before you have actually received it. Book temple services only through the official trust.
How it was established
Before 1983, the temple was looked after by hereditary priests (mahants). The Uttar Pradesh Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Act, 1983 placed its administration with a board of trustees, with a Chief Executive Officer handling day-to-day management and the Divisional Commissioner of Varanasi playing a supervisory role.
What the trust does
- Conducts the daily rituals and the five aartis in the sanctum
- Manages darshan queues, security coordination and crowd control on festivals
- Runs official online services — aarti tickets, Sugam darshan, pujas and donations
- Maintains the Kashi Vishwanath Dham precinct and visitor facilities
- Runs seva activities such as annakshetra (free meals) for devotees
Contacting the trust
For anything to do with tickets, refunds, official notices or lost property inside the temple, contact the trust through the details published on shrikashivishwanath.org or at the help desks inside the Dham. We are an independent guide and cannot act on the trust’s behalf.
The temple through the centuries
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1669
Temple destroyed
The earlier temple was demolished on Aurangzeb’s orders; the Gyanvapi mosque stands on part of its site.
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1780
Rebuilt by Ahilyabai Holkar
The Maratha queen of Indore built the present temple next to the old site.
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1835
Golden spires
Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab donated gold to plate the shikharas.
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1983
Temple Act
The Uttar Pradesh government took over management through a statutory trust.
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2021
Kashi Vishwanath Dham
The corridor linking the temple to the Ganga was inaugurated in December 2021.
Official services you can book
Sugam darshan
A fixed-time, shorter queue for a fee.
Read moreAarti tickets
Mangala, Bhog, Saptarishi and Shringar aartis.
Read morePujas & abhishek
Rudrabhishek and other rituals performed by temple priests.
Donations
Official donations with receipts, on the trust’s site or at the counters.
Beware of fake websites
Heads up. Several websites and social-media pages copy the trust’s name and logo to sell “VIP darshan” or puja bookings. Book official services only on shrikashivishwanath.org or at the temple counters, and never pay individuals who claim to be from the trust.