Visiting Kashi Vishwanath for the first time: Sugam Darshan, the aartis, phones and what to wear

What do you need to know before visiting Kashi Vishwanath? Four things cover most first visits. Entry is free. There is no dress code, though the temple trust asks visitors to wear decent clothes. Phones, all other electronic gadgets and even pens are not allowed inside the temple premises, so leave them in the free lockers. Sugam Darshan is a paid, escorted darshan that skips the queue. The four daily aartis are booked separately through the trust's website, its app or its helpdesk. All of this comes from the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust's own FAQ and website (checked 18 Oct 2026). Book only through the official site, shrikashivishwanath.org. Fake lookalike sites have targeted pilgrims.

A note on currency: the FAQ is a PDF dated 30 December 2023. It is still the FAQ linked from the trust's homepage (checked 18 Oct 2026), but fees and timings can change. Confirm anything time-sensitive on the trust's website or at its helpdesk before you travel.

The rules at a glance

Question	What the temple trust says	Where it says so
Do I have to pay to enter?	No. Special (Sugam) darshan is paid.	FAQ, Q35
Is there a dress code?	No dress code for darshan, but wear decent clothes.	FAQ, Q24
Can I carry my phone?	No. "Any electronic or non-electronic gadgets, pen etc." are not allowed inside the temple premises.	FAQ, Q26
Are there lockers?	Yes, free lockers at Mandir Chowk, YSK-1, YSK-2, YSK-3 and the Helpdesk.	FAQ, Q38
Where is the helpdesk?	Near Gate No. 4.	FAQ, Q28
Can I enter from the Ganga ghats?	Yes, through Gate No. 1, during set hours.	FAQ, Q36–37
Can I cancel or change an aarti or puja booking?	No. Booking fees are treated as donations and are not refunded.	FAQ, Q12, Q22–23; Refund policy

Sugam Darshan: what it is

Sugam means easy. Sugam Darshan is the trust's paid "special darshan". The trust's homepage describes it as a queue-less darshan, escorted by a Shastri (one of the temple's ritual specialists), with a free locker and a box of mewa laddu prasad. It works in three steps:

1. Book online on shrikashivishwanath.org or the official app, or over the counter. The FAQ lists seven ticket counters: the Helpdesk, YSK-1, YSK-2, YSK-3, Mandir Chowk, Mandir Parisar and Dashashwamedh Ghat.
2. Report to the Helpdesk (near Gate No. 4) to collect your band and prasad.
3. Go for darshan with the Shastri, who takes you near the sanctum without making you wait in the general queue.

Fee: the FAQ dated December 2023 lists Sugam Darshan at ₹300 per person, with the Shastri's dakshina (offering) included. The homepage we checked on 18 Oct 2026 did not show a price, so treat the figure as a guide and confirm it when you book.

When is it worth it? If you are short of time, travelling with elderly relatives, or visiting on a crowded day, the escort and the locker are the main benefits. If you are happy to queue, ordinary darshan costs nothing and leads to the same sanctum.

The four daily aartis

The FAQ names four aartis:

Aarti	When (in outline)	Entry
Mangala Aarti	Before dawn, as the temple opens. You must report well before it begins.	Gate No. 1
Mid-day (Bhog) Aarti	Around midday	Any gate
Saptarishi Aarti	Evening	Any gate
Night (Shringar) Aarti	Late evening	Any gate

The FAQ gives exact clock times and a reporting time for Mangala Aarti. We have not copied them here because they may change. Check the FAQ or the booking page for the day you want. You may hear other names for the evening aartis locally. Use the trust's names when booking.

Booking: online at shrikashivishwanath.org, through the trust's official app (linked from its homepage for Android and iOS), or at the Helpdesk. Aarti bookings cannot be cancelled or changed.

What to wear

There is no dress code for darshan at Kashi Vishwanath. The trust's FAQ simply advises decent clothes. Practically, many visitors find loose, modest clothing easiest for a long queue and a crowded sanctum. You will leave footwear outside, so slip-on shoes help.

If you are combining your visit with other temples, check each one separately. Some well-known temples elsewhere in India do enforce dress codes, so a rule you read about one temple may not apply to another.

Phones, cameras and pens

This rule surprises many first-time visitors. The trust's FAQ says no electronic or non-electronic gadgets, "pen etc.", are allowed inside the temple premises. Plan for it:

• Leave your phone, camera, smartwatch and pens in a free locker (Mandir Chowk, YSK-1 to YSK-3, or the Helpdesk). Sugam Darshan includes a locker.
• Agree a meeting point with your group in advance, because you will not be able to call each other inside.
• Note your locker number on paper, since you won't have your phone with you.

Gates, the corridor and the ghats

Since the Kashi Vishwanath Dham was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on 13 December 2021, the temple has been connected to the Ganga ghats by a corridor. For visitors this has two practical effects:

• From the river: you can enter from the ghat side through Gate No. 1. The FAQ says entry from the ghat to the corridor is allowed during set daytime-to-evening hours. Gate No. 1 is also the required gate for Mangala Aarti.
• From the town side: the Helpdesk is near Gate No. 4, which is where Sugam Darshan visitors report.

If you are a foreign national

The trust's website describes a separate process. Foreign devotees holding a valid passport visit the trust's head-office helpdesk (CK 37/40-42, near Bansphatak, Varanasi) and show the original passport. They submit photocopies of the passport and visa, which the trust says are needed for security. They then collect a darshan ticket, which the page (checked 18 Oct 2026) lists at ₹600 and which includes prasad, an angavastram (shawl) and Shastri assistance. The page says this booking is available only at the head-office helpdesk.

Rudrabhishek at the temple

The trust also offers Rudrabhishek (the ritual bathing of the linga with chanting of the Rudram) in several forms, from a single Shastri up to Laghu Rudra and Maha Rudra. According to the FAQ, it can be booked online or through the app, and the Shastri's dakshina is included in the ticket. You buy the milk separately at the temple, and some samagri is included depending on the puja. As with aartis, bookings cannot be changed or refunded.

Busy days, and days the routine changes

The FAQ lists the temple's major occasions as Rangbhari Ekadashi, Diwali, the monthly Shivaratri, Maha Shivaratri and the month of Kartik. Shravan (Sawan) also brings very large crowds. For Shravan 2026 the trust's homepage carried a separate booking notice.

These dates follow the lunar calendar and move every year. Check a Panchang for Varanasi (ProperPandit's Panchang shows the day's tithi and paksha), and see The Hindu Lunar Months, Chaitra to Phalguna for how Shravan and Kartik are set. On eclipse days the routine can change completely. For the lunar eclipse of 3 March 2026, for example, PTI reported that Kashi Vishwanath was among the Uttar Pradesh temples that closed. Watch the trust's notices around such dates.

Book only through official channels

• Official website: shrikashivishwanath.org (Sugam Darshan, aartis, Rudrabhishek, donations, guest houses).
• Official apps: linked from the homepage (Android and iOS).
• In person: the Helpdesk near Gate No. 4 and the trust's ticket counters.
• Watch for lookalikes. In July 2025, the Free Press Journal reported fake websites imitating the trust's portal, naming kashivishwanath.in among them. They took bookings for services such as Sugam Darshan, Rudrabhishek and aartis, and the trust's CEO had complained to the police. The Ministry of Home Affairs' cybercrime centre (I4C) has warned pilgrims generally to verify a website before paying and to be wary of "sponsored" links.
• If you have been cheated, call the national cybercrime helpline 1930 or report at cybercrime.gov.in.

You can also watch the trust's own free live darshan stream from home.

A little history

According to the trust, the temple in its present form was built in 1780 by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore. In 1839, two of its domes were covered with gold donated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The Government of Uttar Pradesh took over the temple on 28 January 1983, and it has since been managed by a trust. The shrine is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, worshipped as Vishwanath or Vishweshwara, "Lord of the universe".

Questions people ask

Kashi Vishwanath mobile allowed hai kya? (Are phones allowed?) No. Phones, all other gadgets and pens are not allowed inside the temple premises. Use the free lockers.

Sugam Darshan kya hai? (What is Sugam Darshan?) The trust's paid, escorted, queue-less darshan, with a locker and prasad included.

Which gate is for Sugam Darshan? Report to the Helpdesk near Gate No. 4 to collect your band. Mangala Aarti entry is through Gate No. 1.

How do I book the Mangala Aarti ticket? On shrikashivishwanath.org, through the official app, or at the Helpdesk. Report early on the day and enter by Gate No. 1. Bookings cannot be cancelled.

Is there a dress code for ladies? No dress code applies to anyone for darshan. The trust advises decent clothes.