Why Kashi Is Called the City of Shiva

काष्यां हि मरणान्मुक्तिः जीवन्मुक्तिः च दुर्लभा।

Kāśyāṁ hi maraṇān muktir jīvanmuktiś ca durlabhā.

— Padma Purana

In the vast spiritual geography of India, few cities carry the mystical weight of Kashi, also known as Varanasi or Benares. Revered as the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, Kashi is not merely a settlement on the banks of the Ganga but a living embodiment of spiritual liberation. It is said that in Kashi, Shiva whispers the taraka mantra (the mantra of liberation) into the ears of the dying, granting them moksha. But why is this city so deeply intertwined with Lord Shiva? What makes Kashi the very seat of his divine presence?

According to the Kashi Khanda of the Skanda Purana, Kashi is not subject to the cosmic cycle of creation and destruction. When the world is destroyed at the end of a cosmic age, Kashi remains untouched, held upon the trident of Lord Shiva. This makes it a unique kshetra: a realm beyond time. Scriptures declare that while other holy places are created and dissolved with each kalpa, Kashi is eternal, existing even when the universe itself is reabsorbed into the primordial void. It is thus referred to as Avimukta Kshetra, the land never forsaken by Shiva.


At the heart of Kashi’s spiritual identity lies the Avimukteshwar Linga, one of the oldest and most sacred Shiva lingas in the city. The term Avimukta means “never abandoned.” According to legend, Shiva once told Parvati that he never leaves Kashi for even a moment. It is said that Lord Vishnu himself worshipped the Avimukteshwar Linga to gain Shiva’s blessings. This linga is not just a symbol of divine presence but a declaration that Kashi is perpetually sanctified by the lord of time and dissolution.

What makes Kashi extraordinary is its association with liberation. The Padma Purana states that dying in Kashi is not ordinary death but a passage into eternal freedom. Shiva is believed to personally whisper the Taraka Mantra into the ears of those who breathe their last in Kashi, liberating them from the cycle of birth and death. This is why Kashi has been a destination for seekers and householders alike who come here to spend their final days. The city itself is often called Mahashmashana; the great cremation ground, for it transforms the inevitability of death into a gateway to liberation.


Kashi is not just a city; it is a carefully constructed spiritual yantra. Ancient texts describe it as a microcosm of the universe, with its temples, ghats, and streets aligning with cosmic patterns. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple, at the center of this yantra, is believed to house the Jyotirlinga: a self-manifested column of light that represents Shiva in his formless essence. Spiritual texts like the Skanda Purana emphasize that this linga is not merely a symbol but a cosmic axis where the earthly and the divine converge, making Kashi a bridge between the material and spiritual worlds.

No discussion of Kashi is complete without the Ganga, the lifeline of the city and the purifier of sins. In the Matsya Purana and other texts, the descent of the Ganga is tied to Shiva, who caught the river in his matted locks to soften her fall from heaven. In Kashi, the Ganga takes a rare northward turn, symbolizing her offering herself to Shiva. This union of the river and the deity transforms Kashi into a sacred confluence of water and divine energy, making every dip in the Ganga a spiritual renewal.

Kashi’s spiritual geography is marked by its 84 ghats, each with its own story and purpose. The number 84 is significant in Hindu philosophy, symbolizing the 8.4 million life forms through which the soul travels before achieving liberation. The Manikarnika Ghat, where cremations take place continuously, is seen as the most sacred, while Dashashwamedh Ghat is tied to the myth of Brahma performing ten horse sacrifices. These ghats are not mere riverbanks but spiritual thresholds where earthly existence meets transcendence.

The presiding deity of Kashi is Vishwanath, literally “Lord of the Universe.” The Kashi Vishwanath Temple, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, has been a magnet for pilgrims for centuries. Devotees believe that a single darshan of this linga equals the merit of countless rituals performed elsewhere. The temple has survived multiple invasions and reconstructions, standing as a symbol of Shiva’s indestructible presence in Kashi and the resilience of faith.

Nearly every major Hindu scripture, from the Vedas to the Puranas — extols the greatness of Kashi. The Mahabharata declares that pilgrimage to Kashi surpasses all others. The Skanda Purana dedicates a vast section, the Kashi Khanda, to describing its sanctity, narrating that even a moment spent in Kashi can erase lifetimes of karma. This scriptural endorsement has ensured that Kashi remains the ultimate pilgrimage site, drawing seekers from across India and beyond.

In Hindu tradition, cremation grounds are powerful places of spiritual transformation, as they remind one of life’s impermanence. Kashi itself is called a Mahashmashana because of the constant cycle of death and rebirth witnessed on its ghats. But unlike ordinary cremation grounds, Kashi transforms this inevitability into an opportunity for transcendence. Death here is not an end but the beginning of freedom, making the city an ultimate sanctuary for those seeking liberation.

Kashi is more than a city; it is a state of consciousness. It exists simultaneously in the mortal and divine realms, where Shiva’s presence dissolves the boundaries between life and death, time and timelessness. It is said that to live in Kashi is to dwell in Shiva’s grace, and to die here is to merge into his infinite being. This timelessness is what makes Kashi unlike any other place on earth.


Kashi is not merely a place; it is an experience of the eternal. It is where Shiva, the lord of time and destruction, becomes the liberator of souls. The scriptures call it Avimukta because Shiva never abandons it, and it never abandons those who seek refuge in it. To walk its narrow lanes, to hear the chants on its ghats, to witness the eternal flame of cremation grounds, is to encounter the mystery of existence itself.

In Kashi, life and death are not opposites. They are two sides of the same reality — a reality held in the boundless embrace of Shiva. And perhaps that is why Kashi is not just the City of Shiva; it is the very heart of liberation itself.