Kashi Mandir Darshan Circuit in Varanasi

Our driver picks you up early from your Varanasi hotel, Varanasi Junction, Banaras station or Babatpur airport. We drive to Godowlia and walk into Kashi Vishwanath Dham, where the queue is shortest soon after the Mangala Aarti. The coordinator helps with lockers and footwear and hands you the puja thali included for your family. Darshan takes one to four hours depending on the crowd; the coordinator stays with you and helps elders at the temple's assistance desk.

• Phones, cameras, bags and leather belts are not allowed inside.
• Sugam Darshan is not part of this package.

Inside the same complex, Dhundhiraj Ganesh stands behind the Annapurna temple and is traditionally greeted before the goddess, as the Ganesh who guards the way. Maa Annapurna is believed to see that nobody in Kashi goes hungry; her golden form is shown to the public only around Diwali.

About half an hour is kept for both. Offerings and dakshina at these temples are at your own cost. Phones are allowed at most temples on the route, but not photography of the deity.

From the corridor, a walk down through the lanes brings you to Manikarnika Ghat for darshan of Ratneshwar Mahadev, the small temple that leans several degrees towards the river. Its sanctum is under water for part of every year. The guide explains the stories attached to it and to the cremation ghat beside it.

This stop is reached by ghat steps. During the monsoon flood the lower steps, and sometimes the temple itself, are under water; elderly yatris can skip it if the steps are hard.

The vehicle takes you to Vishweshwarganj, near the head post office, for darshan of Kaal Bhairav, the Kotwal of Kashi who polices the city. Pilgrims buy the black thread here for protection. We aim to reach before the day gets warm.

After this darshan we break for a vegetarian lunch nearby, at a time that suits the group. Meals, tea and snacks are not included. Use the break to rest, refill water and keep offerings ready for the afternoon temples.

Durga Kund temple, painted red and standing beside its own tank, is one of the city's oldest surviving temple structures. It is nicknamed the monkey temple, so keep prasad and spectacles out of reach. Ten minutes away in Lanka is Sankat Mochan Hanuman, founded by Tulsidas, famous for its laddoo prasad.

About half an hour is kept at each. The vehicle waits close by, and the coordinator handles footwear so the family can concentrate on darshan.

The vehicle crosses back to the northern old city for Mrityunjay Mahadev near Daranagar, the Shiva who conquers death. The temple has a well whose water pilgrims believe has healing qualities.

Many families offer jal and bel patra here and pray for the health of elders. The visit is kept to around half an hour so the circuit can finish on time. The last part of the walk is through old-city lanes, so wear comfortable footwear that is easy to remove.

Kedareshwar on Kedar Ghat is the Kashi counterpart of Himalayan Kedarnath, with a naturally formed lingam and a red-and-white striped exterior in the South Indian style; it is reached by ghat steps. Chintamani Ganesh, in a nearby lane, is the Ganesh who removes worry and completes the circuit.

We then walk back to the vehicle and drop you at your Varanasi hotel, station or the airport by about 6 pm. If you would like to stay on for the evening Ganga Aarti, tell us in advance.