VIDEO:
Shri Vishwanath Mandir is also known as Vishwanath Mandir,
Vishwanath Temple, New Vishwanath Temple and Birla Temple. It is one of the
most famous temples and a big tourist attraction in the holy city of Varanasi.
The temple is situated in Banaras Hindu University campus and is dedicated to Lord
Shiva. Shri Vishwanath Mandir is one of the tallest temple towers in the world
with the Vimana's height being 253 feet.
The main Shri Kashi Vishwanath Mandir, on the banks of River
Ganga, was destroyed (and reconstructed after each destruction) in 1194 by
Qutb-ud-din Aibak, between 1447-1458 by Hussain Shah Sharqi and then in 1669 by
Aurangzeb.
In 1930, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya planned to replicate Shri
Kashi Vishwanath Mandir in the campus of Banaras Hindu University. The Birla
family undertook the construction and the foundation was laid in March 1931.
The Shri Vishwanath Mandir at BHU was finally completed in 1966.
Shri Vishwanath Mandir's construction took thirty-five years to
complete (1931-1966). As I mentioned earlier the temple is one of the tallest
in India. The total height of the temple is 253 feet (77 metres). Temple's
design was inspired by Shri Kashi Vishwanath Mandir and is made mostly of
marble.
Shri Vishwanath Mandir, although a Lord Shiva temple, consists
of nine other temples within this temple complex and is open to people from all
castes, religions and religious beliefs. The Shiva temple is on the ground
floor and the Lakshmi Narayan and Durga temples are on the first floor. Other
temples within Shri Vishwanath Mandir are Nataraj, Mata Parvati, Lord Ganesha,
Panchmukhi Mahadev, Lord Hanuman, Saraswati and Nandi. The entire text of
Bhagavad Gita and extracts from sacred Hindu scriptures are inscribed with
illustrations on the inner marble walls of the temple.
Shri Vishwanath Mandir is situated 1.7 kilometres inside the
campus of Banaras Hindu University. It is 3.3 kilometres from Durga Mandir and 7
kilometres from Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
The attached photographs and video are from our trip to this
popular temple.
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