The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hindusim vol 2

Vishvanath
the use of military chariots. Vishvakarma,
on the other hand, has much more
wide-ranging skills, and this would
seem to indicate that the two are not the
same deity.
Vishvamitra
In Hindu mythology, one of the Seven
Sages whose names mark exogamous
clan “lineages” (gotra; in exogamous
clans, members marry outside their own
clan); the others are Gautama,
Bharadvaja, Kashyapa, Bhrgu, Atri,
and Vasishtha. All brahmins are
believed to be descended from these
seven sages, with each family taking the
name of its progenitor as its gotra name.
In modern times, these gotra divisions
are still important because marriage
within the gotra is forbidden. After her
marriage, the new bride adopts her husband’s
gotra as part of her new identity.
Vishvamitra is most famous for his
long-standing feud with the sage
Vasishtha, which causes numerous confrontations.
The feud begins as a result
of the difference in status between kshatriyas
and brahmins. Vishvamitra is a
king, who once stops with a host of
retainers at the forest ashram of the
brahmin Vasishtha. Upon asking for
food, Vishvamitra is amazed at the
ability of Vasishtha’s cow, the Kamadhenu,
to provide food for everyone.
Vishvamitra first tries to buy the
Kamadhenu, then tries to take it by
force, but his minions are defeated by
the magic powers generated by
Vasishtha’s tapas (ascetic practices).
Vishvamitra finally admits defeat and
begins to do ascetic practices to generate
power of his own. Two of their most
celebrated clashes are over King
Trishanku and his son, Harishchandra;
in each case the real issue is the mutual
antipathy of these two sages. See also
marriage prohibitions.
Vishvanath
Form of the god Shiva, in his manifestation
as the “Lord of the Universe” at the
Vishvanath Temple
Vishvanath temple in Benares. Shiva is
present at Vishvanath in the form of a
linga, the pillar-shaped image that is his
symbolic form; the Vishvanath linga is
one of the twelve jyotirlingas, a network
of sites deemed especially sacred to
Shiva, and at which Shiva is uniquely
present. Benares, or Varanasi, is one of
the most sacred cities in India; it is
considered particularly sacred to Shiva,
and of all the Shiva temples there,
Vishvanath is the most important. The
original temple was destroyed by the
Moghul emperor Aurangzeb, who built
a mosque on the site, and the only
remaining part of the original temple is
the Gyan Vapi (“well of knowledge”),
into which the original Shiva linga was
reportedly cast (to save it from desecration
by Aurangzeb’s soldiers). The present
temple was built in 1776 by the
Maratha queen Ahalya Bai Holkar, on a
site adjoining the original temple. It was
later roofed with gold by Maharaja
Ranjit Singh of Lahore, and thus one of
its nicknames is the “Golden Temple.”
Even in preceding centuries the history
and proximity of the Vishvanath
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