When did Kashi Vishwanath become a Jyotirlinga?
The idea of twelve Jyotirlingas is found in Puranic literature, notably the Shiva Purana, and in the Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram, which traditionally is attributed to Adi Shankaracharya. Kashi's Vishweshwara appears in these lists. Hindu tradition holds the Jyotirlinga to be self-manifested and eternal; the texts themselves were composed over many centuries.
On this page
The texts
- Shiva Purana. The Kotirudra Samhita names the twelve Jyotirlingas and tells the stories connected with each. Vishweshwara at Varanasi is among them.
- Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram. A short hymn naming the twelve in a fixed order, still recited daily by many devotees. Tradition attributes it to Adi Shankaracharya; scholars treat the attribution with caution.
- Kashi Khanda (Skanda Purana). The great text of Kashi's sacred geography, which places Vishweshwara at the centre of the city.
One list, some differences
The twelve names are stable across traditions, but for some of them more than one temple claims to be the Jyotirlinga — for example Vaidyanath (Deoghar in Jharkhand, and Parli in Maharashtra) and Nageshwar (near Dwarka in Gujarat, Aundha in Maharashtra, and Jageshwar in Uttarakhand). There is no such dispute about Kashi Vishwanath. See the 12 Jyotirlingas.
The linga through Kashi's history
Historical sources describe the present temple as built around 1780 beside the earlier site, and the linga worshipped today was installed in it. See temple reconstruction.
Continuity of worship
What historians and devotees agree on is continuity: through periods of destruction, worship of Vishweshwara in Kashi continued, and pilgrims kept coming. That continuity is part of what makes the Jyotirlinga significant to devotees today.
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote the Jyotirlinga Stotram?
Tradition attributes the Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram to Adi Shankaracharya. Scholars are cautious about the attribution.
Is the Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga the original?
Hindu tradition holds the Jyotirlinga to be eternal and self-manifested. Historically, the present linga has been worshipped in the temple built around 1780; tradition holds that it was protected during the 1669 destruction.
Sources and further reading
We link to primary and authoritative sources. External links open in a new tab.
- Jyotirlinga (encyclopaedia entry with cited references) (opens in a new tab)
Wikipedia — Reference work, checked September 2026
- Kashi Vishwanath Temple (encyclopaedia entry with cited references) (opens in a new tab)
Wikipedia — Reference work, checked September 2026
- Banaras: City of Light — Diana L. Eck (Knopf, 1982; Columbia University Press reprint) (opens in a new tab)
Columbia University Press — Scholarly source, checked September 2026
Written and maintained by the KashiVishwanathTemple.net Editorial Team. Last updated . Found an error? Tell us — see our editorial policy.
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