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Kashi Vishwanath Temple the center of faith for millions of Hindus

Located right there in the heart of holiest of holy city Varanasi, Kashi Vishwanath temple is one very important pilgrim for the Hindus all over the world. Varanasi is the oldest civilized city in the entire world and there was the time when students from all over the world who were seeking the all-around education, used to come to the city. The religious centre of the country, Kashi or Varanasi’s heart lies in the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

The temple is old and it has faced some extreme conditions over the years and still it is there, standing tall, helping millions of people from all over the world in attaining moksha, the liberation from Maya and the true freedom from the vicious cycle of life and death.

Some less known facts

The temple was built in 1490 and since then, it has seen many different rulers having their own concept about the religion and spirituality. Call it a blessing of the holy river Ganga, that flows just on the side, the temple faced it all and is standing right there in all its grandeur. While all other temples were destroyed by moguls and then remade again, this one survived everything. Mogul emperor Akbar gave the permission to build the temple and the final shape and restoration work was done by Rani Ahilya Bai Holker. Aurangzeb had destroyed the temple and built a mosque in its place. The ruins of the old structure can also be seen even today.

Sightseeing

The architecture of the temple is an engineering marvel in itself. The golden chhatra at the top of the temple is known to be quite auspicious and it is said that one who is able to get a glimpse of the chhatra, their wishes get fulfilled within days. After the temple was rebuilt by the queen of Indore, Raja Ranjit Singh from Indore donated a lot of gold to the temple in order to pay his respect to Lord Vishwanath. The towers of the temple are about 15.5 metres high and are just magnificent to look at. The temple is also having an inner sanctum that is having a linga made up of black stone that happens to be placed in a silver altar on the floor. Towards the south of the temple, there are three little shrines and around the temple, there are five shivlingas and together they are known as Neelkantheshwar temple.

The temple is open to the visitors all around the year and they come from all over the world. You can guess its popularity just by looking at the sheer number of foreign devotees. Five aartis are performed in the temple every day and in case you are planning on witnessing them, this is a sight you will never forget in this life at least.

Best time to Visit

The temple is open to the visitors all around the year yet.October and November are the months when the festivities make it this temple all glowing and enthralling.

Visitors flock from come from all over the world and you can guess the popularity by merely looking at the sheer number of foreign devotees.

The Aartis

Five aartis are performed in the temple every day. Their timings are as below

. Mangala Aarti :- 3.00 – 4.00 am (Morning)
. Bhoga Aarti :- 11.15 am to 12.20 pm (Day)
. Sandhya Aarti :- 7.00 to 8.15 pm (Evening)
. Shringara Aarti :- 9.00 pm to 10.15 pm (Night).
. Shayana Aarti :- 10.30 pm -11.00 pm (Night).

How to Reach

In order to reach the temple, one has to pass through the Kashi Vishwanath Gali. The Gali is famous for its shops selling pooja items and sweets. Ladies can stop by the popular ladies corner in that gali. After the darshan of Lord Shiva, devotees can also go out on an affordable shopping spree.

Varanasi railway station is the best way to approach the temple which is only 5 km from the temple. If you are commuting from anywhere in the city, it is ideal to board a taxi or an auto rickshaw for reaching the place.

Any months all around a year is good to visit the city. But around October and November, the festivities make it all glowing and engrossing.

Dudhwa national park is a great paradise for wildlife enthusiasts

Dudhwa national park is a big natural habitat for India’s diverse flora and fauna and lies on the India-Nepal border in the Terai district of Uttar Pradesh. It happens to be a part of Dudhwa tiger reserve and one of the most visited national park for the researchers and tourists alike in the entire country.

The rich and extremely fertile Indo-Gangetic plains play a pivotal role in supporting a flamboyant growth of forests diversity of fauna. Some of the best forests of ‘Sal’ tree in the world, amongst other flora can be found here.

Sprawling across an area of 811 square kilometers of marshes, grasslands, and dense forests, Dudhwa National Park is acknowledged as an unexplored paradise beholding the nature lovers, wildlife enthusiasts, and bird watchers. The main attractions of the park are Swamp Deer and Tigers species.

How to reach

The place is at a distance of about 600 kilometers from Delhi and a drive of 9 hours will take you here. Or take a train to Shajehanpur from where the park is at a distance of 40 kilometers. The nearest airport is Lucknow airport, from where it may take 4 hours to reach the park.

Sightseeing

Dudhwa National Park is home for over 38 species of mammals, 16 species of reptiles and 400 species of birds. The park comprises two core areas: Dudhwa National Park and Kishanpur wildlife sanctuary.

Out of the many attractions, the park has for you, tigers and swamp deer are two most beautiful and endangered species one can see. Hispid hare, one of the most exotic species of rabbits which was considered to be extinct three decades back, was later found right here in the park. So, in a way, there may be some pleasant surprises waiting for you here.

The other animals one could see here are sambar deer, barking deer, spotted deer, hog deer, tiger, Indian rhino, sloth beer, ratel, jackal, civets and jungle cats among many other common wild animals. Other that, there is barasingha, a rare deer species that is hardly found anywhere else in the world. A study that was undertaken on the population of barasingha revealed that of all the barasinghas present in the world today, half of them are right here in Dudhwa national park. One can easily spot the herd of this rare animal walking around casually in the park in its very natural habitat.

Birds

Dudhwa national park is a paradise for birds. Some rare species could be found here, along with the migratory birds that cover a distance of about half the earth to be here. There are more than 350 species of birds that can be witnessed here any day. Of them, there are some special species that are rare such as swamp francolin, great slaty woodpecker and Bengal florican. In winters, the migratory birds settle their bases in the park and leaves as soon as the winter ends such as bulbuls, sales and minivets.

There are also the drongos, barbets, cormorants, ducks, geese, hornbills, bulbuls, teal, woodpeckers, heron, bee-eaters, minivets, kingfishers, egrets, orioles, painted storks, owls. There are other common species as well. In short, it can be said that Dudhwa national park happens to be a sure shot delight for the avid bird watchers and photographers. The Bengal florican has always been in the highest demand when it comes to wildlife photography and a survey revealed that most of the photographers head here from across the country and the world to catch the beautiful bird in their cameras.

Conclusion

India is a diverse country, and so is the animal kingdom that lives here. Among all the other national parks, Dudhwa is one of the ideal in the country for wildlife enthusiasts.