Annapurna Bhavani Temple is situated close to
Kashi Vishwanath Temple at
Varanasi in
Uttar Pradesh. It is a major temple devoted to the supreme
Shakti, widely known here as Annapurna, carrying a cooking pot rather than the fearsome weapons borne by her fearful forms such as
Kali and
Durga. She is the divine consort of Kashi Vishwanath (
Shiva) and is considered to be the 'Mother of the Three Worlds'.
Within the temple complex lies a subsidiary temple housing a solid gold image of Annapurna, which opens only three days a year. Adjacent to this shrine is a magnificent image of Lord Shani or Saturn, in silver against a black background. A Ram Mandir is also present at one corner of the complex.
The word 'Annapurna' is the combination of two words 'Anna' and 'Purna,' which literally mean ‘food’ and 'plenty / rich' respectively. A food festival is organized here in October or November. During Dipawali the golden image of Annapurna is shown as giving alms to Shiva for the welfare of the world.
