Vishalakshi Temple, Varanasi

Vishalakshi (Viśālākṣī) · Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

Shakti PeethaMaha Shakti Peetha

Vishalakshi is a seat of the Goddess in Kashi, where the earring tradition of the Shakti Peethas meets the living sacred geography of Varanasi.

Quick facts

Primary deity: Vishalakshi (Viśālākṣī)
Location: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Classification: PN 51 working list; 18 Maha hymn list
City / regional gateway: Varanasi
Airport: Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Varanasi (VNS)
Major railway station: Varanasi Junction (BSB)
Approx. distance from Delhi: About 700 km straight-line from the Delhi reference; not a road distance
Major festival periods: Navratri

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Spiritual importance and significance

Vishalakshi is worshipped in the old city of Varanasi, close to the ghats of the Ganga. The Kashi government portal identifies the shrine with Shakti as Vishalakshi and Bhairava as Kaal Bhairav. It locates the temple in the Mir Ghat area and relates its sanctity to the gem of Sati’s right ear.

The name Viśālākṣī is commonly understood as “wide-eyed”. In Kashi’s sacred landscape, worship of the Goddess accompanies devotion to Shiva. The shrine has a particular identity within the city’s many temples rather than being simply another name for Annapurna or a generic image of Devi.

Kashi official portal: Vishalakshi Devi Temple.

The earring tradition and the two Peetha lists

The Pithanirnaya names Varanasi with Viśālākṣī, Kāla or Kālabhairava, and an earring association. This belongs to the narrative of Sati’s dispersed body and ornaments. The Kashi portal’s Manikarni association gives a local expression to the same sacred geography.

Vishalakshi also appears at Varanasi in the selected eighteen-seat hymn. The two lists are separate witnesses: the hymn’s presence does not supply an additional body-part statement. Their agreement here supports a shared profile, while each list retains its own wording and scope.

Pithanirnaya: Sanskrit text and translation.

What makes Vishalakshi distinctive?

A named Goddess shrine in the dense sacred landscape of Kashi.
A shared destination for the selected fifty-one-entry and eighteen-seat traditions.
A local relationship with Kaal Bhairav, explicitly recorded by the Kashi portal.

The Devi and the temple

The Kashi portal describes an installed image of Vishalakshi in the main sanctum. The Goddess is approached here through a particular named form of worship within Kashi. Her identity should be preserved when viewing photographs or accounts of nearby shrines.

The surrounding neighbourhood and riverfront matter to the experience of the temple. A visit involves moving through the old city rather than entering a detached monument complex from a highway.

Kashi official portal: Vishalakshi Devi Temple.

Worship and visiting periods

The Ministry of Tourism describes flower and vermilion offerings and notes larger gatherings during Navratri. A festival visit brings the shrine into the wider observance of the Goddess across the city. Check the local temple calendar for that year’s arrangements.

October–March is the ministry’s suggested comfortable weather window for Varanasi. Comfortable weather does not establish a quiet period at this particular shrine, and no weekday queue forecast is offered here.

Ministry of Tourism: Vishalakshi Temple.

Vishalakshi within the living city

A 2023 Press Information Bureau account of Kashi Tamil Sangamam records visits to Vishalakshi and Annapurna as well as the riverfront. It documents contemporary pilgrimage exchange between Tamil participants and Kashi. It does not date the foundation of the Vishalakshi temple.

Reading the shrine through both its textual place and continuing worship allows its sacred importance to remain distinct from claims about the age of individual walls or images.

PIB, 2023: Kashi Tamil Sangamam temple visits.

Planning Your Visit

Nearest major city: Varanasi
Temple location: Varanasi
State / province / region: Uttar Pradesh
Country: India
Nearest airport: Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Varanasi (VNS)
Nearest major railway station: Varanasi Junction (BSB)
Approx. distance from Delhi: About 700 km straight-line from the Delhi reference; not a road distance
Distance source, endpoints and method: Haversine between the recorded shrine and existing Delhi city reference, rounded to 50 km. Not a road route or travel time.
Typical access route: Travel into Varanasi’s old city and continue to the Mir Ghat area. Arrange the final walking approach locally.
Important festival periods: Navratri
Government tourism / heritage URL: Government tourism / heritage URL
Visitor-information sources and checked date: Sources reviewed 2026-10-22; linked in Sources. Historical observations are dated separately from current visitor information.

Practical temple information

Opening pattern: Consult the Kashi portal for darshan information and reconfirm before visiting; institutional listings differ on the daily hours.
Current official timing source: Current official timing source
Practical access note: The final approach passes through the old city. Ask about a suitable route if steps, crowded lanes or prolonged walking are difficult.

Last verified: 2026-10-22. Check the linked institution for changed arrangements.

Nearby sacred and cultural places

Kashi Vishwanath, Annapurna and the Ganga ghats provide the immediate religious context. Choose the final approach according to local conditions and the needs of your group, allowing time for the lanes and riverfront rather than treating nearby names as a fixed itinerary.