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The Bharat Mata temple at Varanasi is the only temple dedicated to Mother India. It is located in the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth campus. The Bharat Mata temple was built by Babu Shiv Prasad Gupt and inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1936. The statute of Bharat Mata is built in marble and is a model of undivided India, depicting the mountains, plains and oceans. The most peculiar thing about the Bharat Mata Temple is that instead of the customary gods and goddesses, it houses a relief map of India, carved out of marble.
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The devi at this temple is supposed to be the sister of the lord Kashi Vishwanath. It is a tradition to visit her just before you leave Kashi. You buy sea shells at this place and offer them to God saying that the virtues of donating the shells go to her while you keep the virtues of having visited the holy shrines in Kashi and bathing in the Ganges. The trip to Kashi is expected to yield results only after completing this custom.
It is the temple for Kaal Bhairav - a dreadful form of Lord Shiva symbolising death. It is a tradition to buy black threads (costs about ₹15 per 50 threads as of Sep 2009), keep it in the shrine and then wear it on the arm, wrist or around the neck as a protection against evil forces.
Kathwala Temple
This small, golden temple was built by the 19th-century exiled king of Nepal, Rana Bahadur Shah. It is shaped in the typical Nepali pagoda architectural style.
A rather controversial mosque built during the rule of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. It is believed among the Hindus that the Gyanvapi Mosque is the original site of Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Photography is prohibited.
The Golden Temple
The most famous temple in the city, dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Shaivism. The temple was destroyed multiple times by Mughal invaders and was reconstructed by Hindu kings who followed them. There are four gates to enter the temple. The main gate, called "Ganga Dwar", is accessible from the Manikarnika Ghat. There is a wide corridor leading to the main temple. Security is tight making entrance to the main temple difficult and sometimes completely off-limits to foreigners. Bags, mobile phones or pens are not allowed inside the main temple, although they are allowed within the corridor. You have to deposit them at the "mobile lockers" within the corridor area. If you enter the temple from other three gates, you have to deposit the prohibited items at the nearby shops.
Known as the 'main' ghat, this is the site of the large evening aarti ceremony. The ceremony starts right after the sunset and lasts for around 45 minutes.