Mrityunjay Mahadev Temple — The Healing Well of Kashi
Mrityunjay Mahadev Temple at Daranagar, near Kal Bhairav, is the Kashi temple people come to when health is the problem. The name means the one who conquers death, and devotees recite the Mahamrityunjaya mantra here for long life, recovery from illness and release from untimely death. Within the temple is an ancient well — the Dhanvantari Koop — whose water is believed to carry herbs deposited by Lord Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods, and to cure stomach and skin ailments. Darshan is free, and the temple keeps remarkable hours: 4:00 AM to midnight.
- Timings
- 4:00 AM – 12:00 AM (midnight)
- Famous For
- The Dhanvantari healing well
- Deity
- Shiva as Mrityunjay — conqueror of death
- Entry
- Free · no ticket
Mrityunjay Mahadev
Daranagar, Varanasi · Victory Over Death
4.9 / 5 · Kashi Darshan Help
Shiva temples · Bhairav
- Timings
- 4:00 AM – 12:00 AM, daily
- Deity
- Lord Shiva as Mrityunjay Mahadev
- The Well
- Dhanvantari Koop — believed to heal
- The Mantra
- Mahamrityunjaya path recited here
- Entry
- Free · no ticket required
- Location
- Daranagar, near Kal Bhairav temple
What Are the Mrityunjay Mahadev Temple Timings?
Mrityunjay Mahadev keeps exceptional hours for a Varanasi temple — 4:00 AM right through to midnight, with no long afternoon closure. That matters, because people come here when someone is ill, and illness does not observe darshan hours. Aartis are held at roughly 5:30 AM, 6:30 PM and 11:30 PM, and darshan is free.
Early Morning (Best)
Calmest darshan; morning aarti at 5:30
Daytime
Open throughout; no midday break
Evening
Evening aarti at about 6:30 PM
Late Night
Open late; night aarti at 11:30 PM
Morning Aarti
The first of the day
Evening Aarti
The busiest and most atmospheric
Night Aarti
Rare among Varanasi temples
Mahamrityunjaya Path
Recited for health and long life
Tip: if you want a Mahamrityunjaya path or jaap performed for someone who is unwell, arrange it in advance rather than walking in — the priests need notice, particularly during Sawan. WhatsApp us and we will book it along with your Kashi darshan.
When Is the Best Month to Visit Mrityunjay Mahadev? (2026)
This is a Shiva temple in the old city, so Sawan and Mahashivratri shape the calendar. October to March is the comfortable window for walking the lanes that lead to it.
Mahashivratri and the Sawan Mondays bring the largest crowds. On ordinary days the temple is calm — and being open until midnight, there is almost always a quiet hour available.
Why Do People Come to Mrityunjay Mahadev for Their Health?
What Is Mrityunjay Mahadev Temple?
Mrityunjay Mahadev — also called Mrityunjayeshwar — is a Shiva temple at Daranagar in the old city of Varanasi, close to the Kal Bhairav temple and on the route many pilgrims take between Kashi Vishwanath and Bhairav. It is not a large temple, but among the people of Kashi it is one of the most seriously regarded.
What Does the Name Mean?
Mrityunjaya means the conqueror of death — one who has overcome mortality itself. It is the name under which Lord Shiva is invoked for healing, long life and protection from untimely death, and it is the name at the heart of the Mahamrityunjaya mantra, one of the most recited verses in the whole of Hindu practice.
Why Is the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra Recited Here?
Because this is the temple of that name in the city of Shiva. Devotees come from across India to have the Mahamrityunjaya path or jaap performed here — for a family member who is ill, for recovery after an operation, for a difficult diagnosis, for protection. It gives the temple an atmosphere of real purpose. Almost nobody here is sightseeing.
What Is the Dhanvantari Koop?
The temple’s most remarkable feature is an ancient well within it — the Dhanvantari Koop, also called the Prachin Kuan. Tradition holds that Lord Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods and the founder of Ayurveda, deposited healing herbs and medicines in its water. Devotees believe that bathing with or taking this water relieves stomach ailments and skin diseases, and people carry it home across the country.
Who Was Dhanvantari?
Dhanvantari emerged from the churning of the ocean bearing the pot of amrit, the nectar of immortality, and is revered as the god of Ayurveda and the divine physician. Dhanteras, the first day of Diwali, is his day. That a well associated with him sits inside a temple named for the conquest of death is not a coincidence — the whole site is about healing.
Where Does It Sit on the Kashi Circuit?
Very conveniently. Mrityunjay Mahadev lies between Kashi Vishwanath and Kal Bhairav, on a route pilgrims already walk. Yet most visitors pass within a couple of hundred metres of it without knowing it is there — which is a pity, because for anyone carrying a worry about health, this is the temple in Kashi for it.
Did you know? The temple stays open from 4 AM until midnight — around twenty hours a day, with an aarti at 11:30 PM. Very few temples in Varanasi keep hours like that, and it reflects what people come here for.
How Do You Have Darshan at Mrityunjay Mahadev?
A simple darshan with a well at the centre of it. Here is how a visit unfolds.
- 1
Walk to Daranagar
The temple is in the old-city lanes at Daranagar, near Kal Bhairav and about 1.5 km from Kashi Vishwanath. It is a walk, not a drive.
- 2
Buy Bel Patra and Milk
Stalls in the lanes sell bel patra, flowers, milk and Ganga jal — the traditional offerings for a Shivling.
- 3
Leave Footwear and Enter
Footwear comes off outside. The temple is compact and, outside Sawan, rarely crowded.
- 4
Offer Jalabhishek on the Shivling
Pour water and milk over the linga of Mrityunjay Mahadev, invoked as the conqueror of death.
- 5
Visit the Dhanvantari Koop
The ancient well within the temple, whose water is believed to carry the healing herbs of Lord Dhanvantari.
- 6
Take the Water
Devotees take the well water for ailments of the stomach and skin. Carry a small clean bottle if you want to bring some home.
- 7
Have the Mahamrityunjaya Path Recited
If someone in your family is unwell, this is what the temple is for. Arrange the path or jaap with the priests, ideally in advance.
- 8
Continue to Kal Bhairav
The Kotwal of Kashi is very close by, and the two temples are naturally done together.
When Should You Visit Mrityunjay Mahadev Temple?
With twenty hours of opening a day, this is the most flexible temple in the old city — which is exactly the point.
Best Time of Day — Early Morning
Between 4 and 8 AM the lanes are quiet, the temple is calm and the 5:30 AM aarti is beautiful. This is the window to aim for if you can.
Most Flexible — Late Evening
The temple stays open until midnight, with an aarti at 11:30 PM. If your day has run long or the Ganga Aarti overran, you can still come — almost nowhere else in Kashi allows that.
Most Devotional — Sawan & Mahashivratri
Sawan Mondays and Mahashivratri bring long queues and intense devotion, as at every Shiva temple in Kashi. Arrive before dawn on those days.
What Can You See at Mrityunjay Mahadev Temple?
A compact temple with one genuinely unusual feature at its heart.
The Mrityunjay Shivling
Top PickThe Main Darshan
Lord Shiva invoked as the conqueror of death, the deity people come to when health, recovery or long life is the concern.
The Dhanvantari Koop
Top PickThe Healing Well
The ancient well within the temple, whose water is believed to carry herbs deposited by Lord Dhanvantari and to relieve stomach and skin ailments.
The Mahamrityunjaya Path
The Living Practice
The mantra recited here daily for the sick and the ailing — the reason most people in the temple are present.
The Late-Night Aarti
11:30 PM
An aarti at half past eleven at night, rare among Varanasi temples and reflecting how long the doors stay open.
The Daranagar Lanes
Old Kashi
A working quarter of the old city between Vishwanath and Kal Bhairav, with none of the tourist apparatus of the ghats.
Why Does This Temple Matter More Than Its Size Suggests?
It is small and easy to walk past. Here is why people travel across India to reach it.
The Temple People Come to for Illness
Almost nobody here is sightseeing. Families come with a diagnosis, an operation or a worry — which gives the place a very particular seriousness.
The Dhanvantari Well
Water believed to carry the healing herbs of the god of Ayurveda himself, taken home by devotees across the country.
Where the Mahamrityunjaya Is Recited
The mantra invoked worldwide for healing and protection, recited at the temple of that very name in Shiva's own city.
Open Twenty Hours a Day
4 AM to midnight. Whatever your schedule, or however late your day has run, this temple is open.
Is There an Entry Fee at Mrityunjay Mahadev Temple? (2026)
Darshan is completely free, and so is the water from the Dhanvantari well. Only offerings and a Mahamrityunjaya path or abhishek carry a cost.
The darshan and the well water are free. What we arrange is the Mahamrityunjaya path — booked in advance with the priests, which matters if you are coming specifically for someone who is unwell, since walk-in slots are limited and effectively unavailable during Sawan. Confirmed in writing.
Puja costs vary with the ritual chosen and the number of recitations. Arrange directly through the temple or through us in advance.
What Do Devotees Say About Mrityunjay Mahadev Temple?
1,289 verified reviews
We came for my father before his surgery and had the Mahamrityunjaya path done. The team booked the priests in advance which I later realised was essential. Whatever else, we left lighter than we arrived.
Vinod Kumar Sharma
Meerut
My mother has taken water from the Dhanvantari well for thirty years for her skin. We fill a bottle every visit. Very few outsiders know this well is even there inside the temple.
Saroj Bala Mishra
Allahabad
Our guide walked us here from Kashi Vishwanath on the way to Kal Bhairav. Ten minutes out of the day, and it turned out to be the most affecting temple we visited in Varanasi.
Girish Iyer
Mumbai
Open until midnight, which saved us — our Ganga Aarti ran late and every other temple was shut. Quiet, sincere and completely free of touts. Carry a bottle for the well water.
Harpreet Kaur
Ludhiana
Went during Sawan and the queue was very long, as everywhere in Kashi that month. Worth it. Small temple, easy to miss in the lanes — go with someone who knows the way.
Deepankar Bose
Kolkata
How Do You Fit Mrityunjay Mahadev Into a Kashi Day?
It sits directly between Kashi Vishwanath and Kal Bhairav, so it costs you almost nothing to add. Here is the morning we plan.
Sunrise boat ride on the Ganga. Begin on the water for first light along the ghats.
Kashi Vishwanath darshan. Darshan of the Jyotirlinga at Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham. We assist with VIP darshan to save you the queue.
Vishalakshi Temple at Mir Ghat. The Shakti Peetha that tradition holds completes the Vishwanath darshan — Shiva and Shakti together.
Mrityunjay Mahadev at Daranagar. Jalabhishek, the Dhanvantari well and, if you have booked it, the Mahamrityunjaya path.
Kal Bhairav & Batuk Bhairav. Bhairav darshan, which tradition says completes a Kashi yatra. Kal Bhairav is minutes away.
New Vishwanath Temple, BHU. The afternoon stop, open when the old city closes.
Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat. Close the day with the great evening aarti on the riverfront.
Which Tour Package Covers Mrityunjay Mahadev?
Mrityunjay Mahadev is best seen as part of a planned Kashi darshan rather than a single stop — the old-city temples keep different hours and the ghats reward proper sequencing. These are the itineraries our guests book most, each with Kashi Vishwanath VIP darshan assistance, a certified local guide and transport, priced in writing before you travel.
- 1 Day1 Day Varanasi Tour PackageKashi Vishwanath darshan, a sunrise boat ride and the evening Ganga Aarti.
- 2 Days2 Days Varanasi Tour PackageKashi Vishwanath, the ghats, Sarnath and the old-city temple circuit.
- 3 Days3 Days Varanasi Tour PackageKashi at a proper pace — the Dham, the Bhairavs, the Durgakund cluster and the aarti.
- 4 Days4 Days Varanasi Tour PackageEverything in Kashi plus Sarnath, with time for the temples most itineraries skip.
- 2 Days2 Days Ayodhya Varanasi Tour PackageRam Mandir and Kashi Vishwanath across two cities, with the Ganga Aarti.
- 3 Days3 Days Ayodhya Varanasi Tour PackageThe classic pairing — Ram Mandir, Kashi Vishwanath and the ghats.
- 3 Days3 Days Varanasi Prayagraj Tour PackageKashi and the confluence, with time for the ghats and the Sangam boat ride.
- 4 Days4 Days Ayodhya Varanasi Prayagraj Tour PackageAll three cities — Ram Mandir, Kashi Vishwanath and the Triveni Sangam.
- 5 Days5 Days Ayodhya Varanasi Prayagraj Tour PackageThe complete sacred circuit at a comfortable, senior-friendly pace.
Want Mrityunjay Mahadev built into a custom itinerary? We plan around your dates, your pace and what you actually want to see.
See all Varanasi & Ayodhya tour packagesHow Do You Reach Mrityunjay Mahadev Temple?
The temple is at Daranagar in the old city, near the Kal Bhairav temple and about 1.5 km from Kashi Vishwanath. You arrive on foot through the lanes.
On Foot From Kashi Vishwanath
The usual route. About 1.5 km through the old-city lanes towards Daranagar and Kal Bhairav — roughly 20 minutes on foot.
By Road / Auto
Autos reach as far as the edge of the Daranagar quarter. From there it is a short walk through the lanes; vehicles will not reach the door.
By Train
Varanasi Junction (Cantt) is about 4 km away and Banaras station roughly 6 km. Take an auto towards Daranagar, then walk.
By Air
Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Babatpur is around 24 km away, with taxis at the terminal. Allow an hour in traffic.
Where Is Mrityunjay Mahadev Temple Located?
Mrityunjay Mahadev stands at Daranagar in the Varanasi old city, close to the Kal Bhairav temple and about 1.5 km from Kashi Vishwanath. Use the map below to navigate.
Varanasi
- Area: Daranagar, near Kal Bhairav, Varanasi
- PIN: Varanasi 221001
- From Kashi Vishwanath: ~1.5 km on foot
- From Kal Bhairav: ~400 m
- Known for: The Dhanvantari healing well
Where Should You Stay Near Mrityunjay Mahadev?
The temple is in the old city, so staying near the central ghats or Godowlia puts it within a short walk.
Godowlia & Dashashwamedh
The heart of Kashi, walking distance from Mrityunjay Mahadev, Kal Bhairav, Kashi Vishwanath and the evening Ganga Aarti.
Assi Ghat & Ravidas Gate
The quieter southern end of the ghats, popular with longer-staying visitors, about 4 km from Daranagar.
Cantt & Sigra
Branded and business hotels near the railway station with parking and dining, roughly 20 to 30 minutes from the old city.
What Else Is Near Mrityunjay Mahadev Temple?
Daranagar sits in the middle of the old-city temple circuit, between Vishwanath and Bhairav.
Kashi Vishwanath Temple
The Jyotirlinga of Kashi, ~1.5 km through the galis. We assist with VIP darshan to skip the main queue.
Vishalakshi Temple
The Shakti Peetha at Mir Ghat that tradition holds completes the Kashi Vishwanath darshan.
Batuk Bhairav Temple
Bhairav in his child form at Kamachha, famed for its centuries-old eternal lamp and oil prasad.
Markandey Mahadev Temple
The other great temple of victory over death, at the Ganga–Gomti confluence ~30 km from the city.
Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple
The leaning temple of Varanasi beside Manikarnika Ghat, best seen from a boat.
Ganga Aarti, Dashashwamedh Ghat
The world-famous evening aarti on the riverfront — the unmissable Varanasi experience.
Mahashivratri, Sawan & Dhanteras at Mrityunjay Mahadev
Mahashivratri is the greatest night of the year here, with darshan running through the night — which this temple, open until midnight even on ordinary days, is well suited to. Through Sawan, and especially on the Sawan Mondays, the queue for jalabhishek runs long into the lanes.
Dhanteras, the first day of Diwali, carries a particular meaning here — it is the day of Lord Dhanvantari, the divine physician whose well sits within this temple. For a shrine devoted to healing and the conquest of death, it is the most fitting day in the calendar.
What Should You Know Before Visiting Mrityunjay Mahadev?
A short darshan, but a few things will make it count — especially if you are coming for someone's health.
Carry a small clean bottle
For the Dhanvantari well water. Most first-time visitors do not know to bring one and end up buying a container in the lanes.
Book the Mahamrityunjaya path in advance
If you are coming specifically for someone who is unwell, arrange the path or jaap with the priests beforehand. Walk-in slots are limited and unavailable during Sawan.
It is open until midnight
Twenty hours a day, with an aarti at 11:30 PM. If your day has run long, this is one of very few temples in Kashi still open.
Do it between Vishwanath and Kal Bhairav
The temple sits directly on that route. Adding it costs you ten minutes and no detour at all.
It is a working shrine, not a sight
Most people here are carrying a real worry about health. Keep photography discreet and voices low.
No vehicle reaches the door
Daranagar is deep in the old-city lanes. Expect to walk the last stretch whichever way you arrive.
Sawan means long queues
The Sawan Mondays and Mahashivratri fill the lanes. Arrive before dawn on those days.
It is not Markandey Mahadev
Both are temples of victory over death, but Markandey Mahadev is 30 km out at the Ganga–Gomti confluence. This one is in the city, with the Dhanvantari well.
The lanes are a maze
Daranagar is easy to get lost in. If you are on your own, ask often — locals will point you towards the temple.
Dress modestly
Standard temple etiquette applies, with footwear removed at the entrance.
Mrityunjay Mahadev Temple — Frequently Asked Questions
The questions devotees ask us most about Mrityunjay Mahadev — the healing well, the Mahamrityunjaya path, timings and how it differs from Markandey Mahadev.
Mrityunjay Mahadev, also called Mrityunjayeshwar, is a Shiva temple at Daranagar in the Varanasi old city, near Kal Bhairav. The name means 'the conqueror of death', and devotees come here for healing, long life and protection from untimely death.
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Written & verified by the local Varanasi guide team at Ayodhya Varanasi Guides
Our government-certified Kashi guides bring visitors to Mrityunjay Mahadev on the walk between the Vishwanath Dham and Kal Bhairav, and regularly arrange the Mahamrityunjaya path for families with someone unwell at home. Last updated: July 2026. Puja slots are limited during Sawan — message us and we will book ahead for your travel date.
Seek Health and Long Life at Mrityunjay Mahadev
Let Ayodhya Varanasi Guides plan your Kashi darshan — Mrityunjay Mahadev and the Dhanvantari well on the walk between Kashi Vishwanath and Kal Bhairav, with the Mahamrityunjaya path booked in advance, VIP darshan assistance at the Dham and the evening Ganga Aarti. Confirmed in writing.