Manikarnika Shakti Peetha

Shri Vishalakshi Mata Temple near Meer Ghat is one of the principal Goddess shrines of Varanasi. Located within the old city’s narrow lanes close to Manikarnika Ghat, it is dedicated to Vishalakshi, the “wide-eyed” form of the Divine Mother. The temple is naturally included in a Kashi pilgrimage with Kashi Vishwanath, Annapurna Devi, Kal Bhairav and the Ganga ghats, linking Goddess worship with Varanasi’s wider traditions of liberation and sacred geography.

The Peetha is recorded as Manikarnika, with Varanasi as an alternate geographical name. According to the tradition followed here, Sati’s earring, or kundala, fell at this place. The Goddess is Vishalakshi and the corresponding Bhairava is Kala, commonly identified with Kaal Bhairav. Some accounts refer specifically to the gem from the right earring or describe the fallen object differently. The Sanskrit term and its variations should therefore remain visible rather than being reduced to one modern wording.

Navratri brings the strongest seasonal emphasis on Goddess worship. Kajali Tij is another important local observance associated with Vishalakshi. The official Kashi portal includes the temple among the fifty-one Shakti Peethas and connects it with the earring tradition. Although modest in scale compared with nearby Kashi Vishwanath, Vishalakshi Temple is a central stop for Shakta pilgrims and an important expression of the Divine Mother within Kashi’s living sacred network.