All About The 5 Types of Aarti At the Kashi Vishwanath Temple

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is one of the most religiously important places of worship in the Hindu religion. Many great Hindu saints (like Adi Sankaracharya, Goswami Tulsidas, Kabir Das, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Swami Vivekananda, Gurunanak, etc.) had come to Varanasi to take the holy bath in the holy River Ganga and for the Darshan of the Jyotirlinga.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple Aarti
Aarti is a significant ritual in Hindu worship, where devotees offer prayers, light lamps, and sing devotional songs to the deity. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple conducts several aarti ceremonies throughout the day, each with its unique significance. Here are the aarti timings at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple:

Type of Aarti in Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi
Mangala Aarti
Bhog Aarti
Sandhya Aarti
Shringar Aarti
Shayan Aarti

There are different types of Aartis performed at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. All the Aartis have different significance for the devotees. One can participate in the Mangla Arti, Bhog Arti, Sandhya Arti, Shringar Arti, and Shayan Aarti and perform all the rituals with the help of the learned priests at different times of Aarti in Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

Mangala Aarti: 03.00 AM – 04.00 AM (Morning)
Kashi Vishwanath is one temple where the Lord is woken up at 3:00 AM every morning. It is not an easy thing to be up and ready at the temple by 2:45 AM, especially on a holiday, but this is one pooja which is said to be worth all the effort.

Till the time of the beginning of the Aarti, the doors of the temple are not opened for public viewing so performers of Mangla Arti get nearly 30 minutes to see the original Jyotirlingam. This time is considered highly auspicious for seeking the blessings of Lord Shiva.

Devotees witness priests adorning the deity with fresh flowers and offering lamps. The temple resonates with the sound of bells and conch shells.

Bhog Aarti: 11.15 AM – 02.20 PM (Afternoon)
After a brief closure for cleaning and preparation, the temple reopens for the afternoon darshan. Every noon, Bhog Arti is performed at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. It is the second Arti of the day after Mangla Arti. Bhog aarti involves offering food to the Lord as a way to show our gratitude because whatever food we get is given to us by him. After the offerings have been made, food is distributed among all the devotees present there as Prasada.

Sandhya Aarti: 07.00 PM – 08.15 PM (Evening)
Every evening a religious ritual is performed at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple which is Sandhya Aarti or the evening arti. Priests perform the ritual using fire and chant Vedic Mantras while leading the worship. All devotees pray to the Lord and ask for his blessings. After performing the Sandhya Aarti, Prasada is distributed among all the devotees present there. This is a serene and peaceful time to visit the temple when the atmosphere is filled with spirituality.

Shringar Aarti: 09.00 PM – 10.15 PM (Night)
Every night Shringar Aarti is performed at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Shringar means adornment of the Lord. Once the Shringar Aarti starts then darshan can be done only from the outside till the time Aarti ends. After Aarti, Bhog is offered to the Lord. After the offerings, it is distributed among the devotees present there.

Shayan Aarti: 10.30 PM – 11.00 PM (Night)
Shayan means to sleep. Shayan Arti is performed before the Lord goes to sleep. Prasad, clothes, and other such offerings are distributed among the poor. After performing all these tasks and rituals, the temple is closed for the night until the next morning when once again the Mangala Aarti is performed.