Vishalakshi - Worship and Festivals

Worship and Festivals

Devotees often bathe in the holy Ganges nearby before offering worship at the temple. The puja (worship), offerings, recitation of hymns to the goddess and charity at the temple is considered highly fruitful due to the power of the presiding goddess. The goddess is especially worshipped by unmarried girls for a groom, childless couples for progeny and unfortunate women for turn of their fortune. Two goddess images are housed side-by-side in the garbhagirha (sanctum): a smaller black stone image called Adi Vishalakshi on left back side and another taller black stone image installed at a later date. Devotees often visit the Vishwanath and Annapurna shrines with this temple.

Two most important festivals in the temple as well as all other goddess temples in Varanasi is two Navaratris ("nine nights"). The Ashwin Navatri or simply called Navaratri, culminating in Vijayadashami, falls in the waxing fortnight of the Hindu month of Ashwin (October) and celebrates the victory of the goddess Durga on the buffalo-demon Mahishasura. The other Navaratri is in the waxing fortnight of Chaitra (March). On each of nine days, one of Varanasi's goddess temples - corresponding to one of the Navadurga (nine Durgas) or nine Gauris (Parvatis) - is recommended to be visited. The nine-temple circuit is described in various Kashi mahatmyas (texts narrating the greatness of the holy city of Varanasi/Kashi). Devotees flock to the temple in the evening of the fifth day of Navatri.

The yearly temple festival of Vishalakshi Temple is celebrated on Kajali Tij (Black Third), the third lunar day (tij) of the waning fortnight in Bhadrapada, the last month of the Indian rainy season. Women sing "amorous" rainy season songs called kajali (black) around this time. The holy day is observed especially for the welfare of brothers by women.