Watch Kashi Vishwanath live on television in Varanasi

Varanasi, Feb.4 : Devotees of Lord Shiva in Varanasi can now ave an audience of the Jyotirlinga at the world famous Kashi ishwanath temple while sitting at home. Thanks to the local irect to home (DTH) service provider.

Lord Shiva's Jyotirlinga is enshrined at this famous temple.

The new facility commenced this past week (Thursday) after the ata Sky, the local DTH service provider, had an arrangement with he temple authorities for its subscribers here. The company has aid an annual royalty of rupees 35 lakhs (3.5 million rupees).

The latest option will save time and energy of the devotees who therwise had to wait for hours in long queues, passing through arious security check-points, to have Darshan (glimpse) of the ain deity of Kashi Vishwanath temple from a distance. It will lso enable devotees to have a close view of the deity.

This facility, however, will be available only with Tata Sky nabled television sets.

"This is a historic day for all of us. In the entire north India his is for the first time that devotees from any part of the orld can see the pious 'Jyotirlinga' of Kashi Vishwanath Temple ive on their TV sets," said Rajesh Tripathi, Religious Endowment inister of Uttar Pradesh.

"Of course, such a facility is available at Shirdi's Sai Baba emple and Sidhi Vinayak temple in Maharashtra. In south India, he temple of Shri Balaji at Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh also has his facility," Tripathi added. The daily telecast will include the coverage of daily rituals of he temple besides enabling an open view of the presiding deity. his facility, however, will be available only with Tata Sky nabled television sets. evotees have hailed the new facility, as now onwards they will ot have to be a part the huge crowd and hustle bustle, which sed to defeat the whole meaning of worship that needs utmost erenity.

"There is so much of a crowd and I don't have to go there. It is ctually very comfortable. It is very good," said Abhishek Singh, devotee.

Prior to this telecast, Kashi Vishwanath was brought live to the evotees via internet but it was more of static visuals. That ebsite had limited approach, as only computer literates could ave access to it through internet.

As against all these, Tata Sky has lent a far wider coverage, hich in turn would mean devotees would be able to offer prayers rom homes with 'live' deity in view.

The Kashi Vishwanath temple is widely recognized as one of the ost important places of worship in Hindu religion and most of he leading Hindu saints, including Adi Sankaracharya, amakrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekananda, Goswami Tulsidas, wami Dayananda Saraswati, Sikh Guru Gurunanak Dev are known to ave visited this temple.

As per Hindu mythology, visiting Kashi Vishwanath temple and a ath in the river Ganga is believed to lead one on a path to oksha (liberation).

It is said that the merits earned by the darshan of other yotirlinga located in different parts of India accrue to devotee y a single visit to Kashi Vishwanath Temple. By Girish Kumar Dubey

ANI