Kaal Bhairav mandir timings in Varanasi: hours, crowd days and fitting it around Kashi Vishwanath

Kaal Bhairav mandir in Varanasi is open 5 AM to 9:30 PM. That's what Varanasi's official Kashi portal (kashi.gov.in) says, and the page lists no midday closing, no aarti times and no weekly day off. Most travel sites do print a midday break, though, and they don't agree on when it ends. If you're thinking of going around lunch, read the bit on sources further down.

Most families we take to Kashi Vishwanath want to stop here as well, because the custom is to see the kotwal of the city first. So we've kept this to the stuff that trips people up. Busy days, the drop point, the walk, and what order to do things in when you've got a Vishwanath ticket.

Kaal Bhairav temple timings at a glance

When to go, and the days that get packed

Our drivers like an early start or a late afternoon here. The portal calls Tuesday and Sunday especially auspicious, and those are the days the lane fills with people carrying oil, black sesame and flowers. Got a free choice of day? Then skip Tuesday and Sunday and come in the morning.

The one day to really avoid, unless it's why you're coming, is Bhairav Ashtami. Some people call it Kaal Bhairav Jayanti. In 2026 it falls on Tuesday 1 December, going by Drik Panchang's calendar for Varanasi. That's a Tuesday as well, which makes the crowd even worse. We'd expect the heaviest crowd of the year that day, and a far longer wait than our usual estimate.

Nobody puts out queue times for this temple. Not the portal, and not the temple as far as we know. Our 30 to 45 min figure is for an ordinary day and includes the walk both ways. On a Tuesday or a Sunday, give it longer.

Where the van stops and how far you walk

No vehicle gets to the temple door, because the lane is far too narrow. Our van drops you within a few hundred metres, near Bharonath, and from there it's roughly a 5-minute walk. That's much easier than Kashi Vishwanath, where the drop is back at Godowlia and the walk is longer.

The driver waits while you're inside, so there's no pickup to arrange afterwards and no searching for the van. Leave bags and anything you won't need with him. The portal doesn't post a rule on phones or bags, and we haven't seen one from the temple, but the lane is crowded and there's nowhere to put things down. If someone in your group finds walking hard, tell us when you book. The drop point and walk, in short, on our Kaal Bhairav page.

Before or after Kashi Vishwanath?

Tradition says before. He's the city's kotwal, its guardian, and people ask his leave before they start their time in Kashi. The portal says as much. In practice, though, your Vishwanath ticket decides the day, so we build the order around it.

• If your Vishwanath slot is in the morning, or you're going for free darshan, be at Kaal Bhairav when it opens at 5 AM. You'll be back in the van inside the hour, and then we drive round to the Godowlia drop for Vishwanath.
• If your slot is in the evening, do Kaal Bhairav in the late afternoon and go on to Vishwanath from there.
• If you'd rather do Vishwanath first, that's fine too. Just make sure you reach Kaal Bhairav well before it shuts at 9:30 PM.

Our Kashi Vishwanath guide has every aarti and reporting time, and that's the clock the rest of your day hangs on. Kashi Vishwanath timings, aartis and busy days.

Offerings, the raksha sutra and what to carry

According to the portal, devotees offer oil, black sesame and flowers, and the Bhairav Raksha Sutra, a sacred thread, is available at the temple. People tie it round the wrist for protection. Other guides call it a black thread and say the oil should be mustard oil. We haven't seen the temple itself confirm either detail, so if it matters to you, ask there.

Carry very little. A bit of cash for the offering, and your Vishwanath ticket and ID if you're heading there next. Phones aren't allowed inside Vishwanath anyway, so it's easiest to leave yours in the van for both stops.

Where the sources disagree

The government portal, which we read in October 2026, gives one straight run from 5 AM to 9:30 PM. Most travel sites ranking for this search split the day with a midday closing instead, and the afternoon reopening they print changes from one site to the next. The top travel site for this search lists 5 AM to 1:30 PM and 4:30 PM to 9:30 PM, with the doors shut in between. Others give a different reopening time. One of them even calls the break cleaning time in one place and lunch in another.

We've gone with the portal because it's the official source. Still, we wouldn't stake a family's afternoon on it. If you plan to arrive between late morning and mid-afternoon, WhatsApp us and we'll ask our drivers what they've seen there that week.

What the van costs

GST, toll and parking are extra, at actuals. A morning with Kaal Bhairav and Kashi Vishwanath sits comfortably inside the 8 hr package. Send your Vishwanath ticket time to 9250331290 on WhatsApp and we'll tell you when the van should pick you up. Book the van for your temple day.