Adi Keshav Temple

Adi Keshav Temple is one of the few old Vishnu shrines in Varanasi, standing where the Varuna River flows into the Ganga, away from the busy lanes of the old city. Its name means the first Keshav: Hindu belief holds that Vishnu first set foot in Kashi at this spot, having been invited by Shiva. The Kashi Khand and other Puranic texts mention the site.

According to the legend, Shiva once went away to live on Mount Mandarachal, and Vishnu came down in the form of Adi Keshav, counted among his 24 incarnations, to guard the holy city; he also overcame King Divodasa and restored dharma. Qutb-ud-din Aibak destroyed the temple in 1194, and Madhav Scindia of Gwalior later rebuilt it under the Marathas. Marks on its walls date from the period after the 1857 uprising, when the British used it as an outpost. The adjoining Adi Keshav Ghat, also called Raj Ghat, was a favourite of the Gahadavala kings according to an inscription, and a Scindia diwan had it paved in 1790.