Vishwanath Temple
The most famous temple of the city of Varanasi, the Vishwanath temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The original was supposed to have been built in 1490. In the ensuring years, the temple has been destroyed and rebuilt in various locations several times due to demolitions by invaders. The Mughal emperor Akbar allowed the temple to be constructed at Gyan Vapi in 1585 but Aurangzeb ordered its demolition in 1669 and constructed a mosque, which still exists. This mosque has minarets towering 71 metres above the Ganges. The traces of the old temple can be seen behind the mosque. The modern-day temple was built across the road by Ahilya Bai of Indore in 1776.