Two Khans’ sojourn in Kashi Vishwanath Temple
History repeats after 15 years, though differently
By Binay Singh
View this post on InstagramNamaste Darshako 🙏🏻 Banaras ki galliyo se… oh what a lovely day 💁🏻♀️ So much fun- such little you pay 💰 If only in Varanasi one could stay 🤔
# March 2005: ‘Jimmy Jimmy Aaja’ fame pop singer Parvati Khan concealing her identity goes to Kashi Vishwanath Temple, performs puja and abhishek during Mahashivratri festival.
# March 2020: Bollywood actor Sara Ali Khan goes to the temple, performs ‘sparsh darshan’, also gets shot in camera while roaming freely in famous Vishwanath Gali (lane). She also shares the footage on her Instagram account.
Varanasi: Both the celebrities Parvati Khan and Sara Ali Khan allegedly breached the dictum inscribed on a stone plaque at the entrance of KVT – “Gentlemen not belonging to Hindu religion are requested not to enter the temple”. The visit of both Khans was denounced by the local pundits terming as an offence done to sanatan dharma.
During her stay in the city for the shooting of a film Sara along with her mother went to the temple to offer prayer on March 15. They also took part in Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat. She was also seen anchoring a video shoot in the lane that leads to the temple. Interestingly, the temple authorities said that they had no information of her visit to the temple.
Coincidently Parvati Khan too had offered prayer at KVT on March 15, 2005. After returning to Mumbai, she had reportedly claimed that she performed abhishek at the temple. After completing 1.5 lakh chants and prayers at a nearby accommodation she managed to enter the temple on March 15 at 4.00 in the morning and perform the abhishek, after concealing her identity, she had claimed. As she was not granted permission to perform any ritual, she decided to go incognito. Her visit to the Vishwanath temple, as she had claimed, was the ninth holy site of her 12 jyotirling yatra.
