Situated high above Panchganaga Ghat in the shadow of Alamgiri Mosque, Bindu Madhav Temple is housed in a simple inconspicuous and rather nondescript building that one could easily mistake for any other dwelling in the twisting serpentine lanes of Varanasi.The present temple was constructed in the 19th century by the Maratha ruler Bhawan Rao, replacing a larger and far grander temple that once stood on the site of the Alamgiri Mosque, the origins of which may have stretched back to the 5th century A.D.
Exterior of Bindu Madhav Temple about Panchganga Ghat
When Aurangzeb captured Varanasi in 1663 he embarked on a systematic campaign of destroying much of the sacred geography of the city. All of the greatest temples of the city became ruins, including Kashi Vishwanath in 1663, and Bindu Madhav in 1673. Almost nothing of religious nature remains in Banaras that pre-dates the seventeenth century and the arrival of Aurangzeb. It’s impossible to imagine how this city must once have looked prior to Aurangzeb’s period of destruction, but although the sacred city of Kashi could certainly be defaced, its spirit could never truly be destroyed.
The present day Bindu Madhav entrance is flanked by images of Garuda (Vishnu’s vehicle) and the monkey-god Hanuman.
Images of Garuda and Hanuman flanking the temple entrance
There is a black marble statue of Vishnu, images of Ganesh, Shiva and Nandi, along with over 70 Shiva lingas. A young priest who briefly chatted to me confirmed that the main Vishnu idol, which was carved from shaligram stone from river Gandaki in Nepal, was indeed recovered from the original Bindu Madhav temple. Immediately after the destruction of the original temple, this Vishnu image was recovered from the ruins and kept submerged in the Ganga for a number of years, hidden out of sight,
In the Matsya Purana, it was one of the most important Vishnu temples in Kashi, along with Adi Keshav in the far north of the city. There is evidence to suggest the temple was destroyed several times between the 12th and 16th centuries at the hands of invaders, with the last temple being built on the old site by Raja Man Singh of Amber in the 16th century.
Goswami Tulsidas
The Hindu Vaishnava saint and poet Tulsides also spent time here, and wrote in praise of the temple as he sat in front of the image of Vishnu.
“Oh Bindu Madhav ! You are like a cloud which pours rains of happiness and joy. You are the one who purifies the symbolic forest called Varanasi, a forest which is very pleasant by the virtue of your presence.“
There is a legend attached to the name of this temple. A sage named Agni Bindu Rishi once lived at Panchganga and practised great austerities. Vishnu who was also staying at Panchganga granted this sage a wish, who requested that Vishnu should stay here for the benefit of all who desire Moksha (the end of the death and rebirth cycle).
