The oldest living city in the world, Varanasi is the ultimate destination of all Hindu pilgrims searching for moksha from the cycle of birth and re-birth. The word 'Kashi' originated from the word 'Kas' which means to shine. Kashi is mentioned repeatedly in the scriptures - the Brahmanas, Upanishads and the Puranas.
Kashi Vishwanath temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is popularly known as the 'Golden Temple' due the gold plating done on its 15.5 meter high spire. One tonne of gold donated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh has been used in the gold plating of the spire. The temple was destroyed by various invaders and was rebuilt in 1776 by Rani Ahilyabai of Indore. Due to security reasons, metal detectors are placed throughout the temple. The Vishwanath temple was destroyed by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb who built the Gaynvapi Mosque in its place.Even today the western wall of the mosque show the remnants of a temple which had very intricate and fine artwork on it. Both the Kashi Vishwanath and the Gyanvapi mosque are adjacent to each other.
