Bindu Mahadev

If you stand at Panchganga Ghat today and look up, you'll see a mosque towering over a modest temple — and that modest temple, Bindu Madhav, was once the most magnificent Vishnu temple in all of Kashi. The French gem merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, who traveled through India in the 1600s, described it as a "great pagoda" with towers on all four arms and a massive spire. The six-foot-tall Vishnu idol was garlanded with pearls, diamonds, and rubies. Even Tulsidas — the poet who wrote the Ramcharitmanas — sat here and composed verses in praise of Bindu Madhav: "Oh Bindu Madhav! You are like a cloud which pours rains of happiness and joy."The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu in his form as Bindu Madhava. In the spiritual map of Kashi, it is considered one of the city's most sacred spots, representing one of the "five heads" of the deity. Timings: 5:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM.