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Home / Temples / Adi Keshava Temple

Vishnu Temple

Adi Keshava Temple

Local tradition and the Kashi Khanda text both point to Adi Keshava as the oldest temple in the city — the place where Vishnu is believed to have first set foot in Kashi, right at the confluence of the Varuna river and the Ganga.

Add a photo hereSuggested file: /images/temples/adi-keshava-temple.jpg — alt text: "Adi Keshava Temple, Where the Varuna river meets the Ganga, Varanasi"

Its location at the Varuna-Ganga confluence is itself significant — the city's name, Varanasi, is widely understood to come from these two rivers that historically marked its boundaries — which gives this comparatively quiet temple a geographic importance beyond its size.

Because it sits a little apart from the dense cluster of temples around the main ghats, Adi Keshava gets far fewer casual visitors than Kashi Vishwanath or Annapurna, which actually makes it one of the more peaceful spots to visit if you're interested in the older Vaishnavite history of the city rather than the busier Shiva circuit.

It's best reached by boat or by road along the northern edge of the old city, and pairs naturally with a visit to the ghats at the city's northern end.

Good to know

Best time

Morning, combined with a boat ride along the northern ghats

Significance

Marks the Varuna-Ganga confluence that gives Varanasi its name

Access

Easiest by boat, or by road along the city's northern edge

Frequently asked questions

Why is Adi Keshava considered Kashi's oldest temple?

The Kashi Khanda, a section of the Skanda Purana, names it as the spot where Vishnu first entered the city, and local tradition has preserved that association for the temple ever since.

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