New Vishwanath Temple

The New Vishwanath Temple is a Shiva temple inside the campus of Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, offering a calmer alternative to the crowded lanes around the main Kashi Vishwanath shrine. Lawns, broad walks and clean stone paths surround it.

The temple is built mainly of marble, and its shikhara reaches about 77 m, placing it among the tallest temple towers anywhere. Sandstone buildings, carved columns, balconies and pavilions follow traditional temple design, and carved bulls, lions, crocodiles and other symbolic animals stand in the grounds. Corridors hold small shrines, murals and inscriptions on the story of Kashi, the marble walls are inscribed with the Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures, and a hall of massive pillars leads to the Shiva image, enshrined upstairs in a marble sanctum.