The ancient temple in the heart of Varanasi is one of the most important Shaivite pilgrim site. It enshrines the first of the twelve Jyotirlinga. The Sri Kashi Vishwanath Temple dedicated to Shiva, known here as Vishwanath or Vishveswara, the ‘Lord of the world’, is in fact the main centre of devotion for the pilgrims visiting Varanasi. It is believed that even a glimpse of the sacred jyotirlinga is a soul-cleansing experience that transforms life and puts it on the path of knowledge and bhakti. The temple has been a living embodiment of cultural traditions since time immemorial. Great saints and spiritual personalities like Adi Shankaracharya, Ramkrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekanand, Goswami Tulsidas, Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati, Gurunanak etc. have visited the shrine.
The original temple was destroyed by Aurangzeb, the Mughal ruler and was rebuilt in 1776, by Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore. In 1835, the shikaras of the temple were gold plated by Maharaja Ranjeet Singh of Punjab and shrine also came to be known as golden temple.
The shrine of Annapurna Bhavani dedicated to goddess Shakti, the divine female energy is located nearby.