Where is Annapurna Devi Temple in Varanasi?
Annapurna Devi Temple is in the lanes beside Kashi Vishwanath Temple, a short walk from the main temple. Annapurna, a form of Parvati, is the goddess of food and nourishment. Tradition pairs her darshan with Vishwanath's, and the temple is especially busy during the Annakut festival after Diwali.
Annapurna Devi Temple
- Presiding deity
- Annapurna, goddess of food and nourishment
- Location
- Vishwanath Gali, beside Kashi Vishwanath, Varanasi
- From Kashi Vishwanath
- Steps away (approximate)
On this page
The goddess who feeds Kashi
Images of Annapurna often show the goddess with a ladle and a pot of food, and Shiva as a mendicant receiving alms.
History
The present temple is commonly dated to the 18th century and attributed to the patronage of the Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao I. We report this as commonly stated rather than precisely documented.
Annakut
During Annakut, the day after Diwali, the temple is decorated with a great offering of food. Accounts describe a special golden image of the goddess shown to devotees only for a few days around this festival. Crowds are very large; check local announcements.
A statue comes home
In November 2021 an 18th-century statue of Annapurna, which had been taken from Varanasi around a century earlier and ended up in a university collection in Canada, was returned to India and installed within the Kashi Vishwanath temple complex.
Visiting
Visit directly after Kashi Vishwanath. The same rules on phones and bags generally apply in the lanes around the temple; carry only what you need.
Frequently asked questions
Is Annapurna Temple inside Kashi Vishwanath?
It is a separate temple in the lanes beside Kashi Vishwanath, a short walk away.
What is special about Annakut at Annapurna Temple?
The temple is decorated with a large food offering, and a special golden image of the goddess is shown for a few days, according to accounts.
Sources and further reading
We link to primary and authoritative sources. External links open in a new tab.
- 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
- Annapurna Devi Mandir (encyclopaedia entry with cited references) (opens in a new tab)
Wikipedia — Reference work, 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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