अन्नपूर्णा भवानी मंदिर

Nestled just off the Vishwanath Gali, next to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, stands a vision of nourishment — the Annapurna Bhavani Temple, dedicated to the goddess of food and abundance. The temple was built in 1729 by Balaji Bajirao Peshwa.

Annapurna — whose name combines anna meaning food and purna meaning complete — is an aspect of Parvati, embodying her role as caretaker of life's essentials. She promises to

those who come to her what only a mother can give, naturally and freely: food. Legend tells of a moment when Lord Shiva claimed food itself was illusion or maya, enraging Parvati to

vanish — and plunge the world into hunger. Lord Shiva, realizing his mistake, sought out Parvati, acknowledging the importance of food and begged for sustenance. Hence, she

took the form of Annapurna or the goddess of food with a golden pot and ladle, and donated food in Varanasi.

The temple possesses a tower, and a dome, carved and ornamented in Hindu style. Standing in the court of the temple compound itself, there is a small sanctum with a large pillared

porch in Nagara architecture. The temple also houses two icons of the goddess; one made of gold and other of brass. The gold icon can be only seen once a year—on Annakuta day,

falling after Deepavali or ‘festival of light’, attracting a large number of pilgrims; devotees have to wait for one year if they missed their chance. On this pious occasion, mountain of

fruits and sweets and cereals are laid out before the Goddess, and later on, the fruits and sweets are distributed amongst devotees as prasadam.

This temple is more than architecture — it is a site of lived generosity. Every day, devotees offer annadanam or food donations. As the Kashi Khand describes, circling the shrine eight

or 108 times brings blessings, and no one in Kashi goes hungry here. It is also said that Adi Shankaracharya composed the Annapurna Stotra here.

In Kashi — a city where divinity meets daily life — Annapurna Bhavani stands as a reminder that spiritual abundance begins with a simple meal shared in grace.