Chandraghanta Temple

Tucked into the narrow, lantern-lit thread of Chandraghanta Gali, a stone's throw from the Chowk Kotwali (police station) in the oldest quarter of Kashi, the Chandraghanta Temple is one of the humblest yet most beloved stops on Varanasi's nine-day Navadurga pilgrimage.

• There is no soaring shikhara or courtyard here — only a small wall shrine set into the side of the lane, its deity glimpsed through an iron grille.
• Behind the bars sits the murti of Maa Chandraghanta, the third form of Goddess Durga, worshipped on the third day (tritiya) of Navratri, flanked by smaller images of the eight other Durga forms.
• Her name joins chandra (moon) and ghanta (bell): the crescent moon on her brow is shaped like a temple bell, a mark of alertness and of victory over evil.
• Riding a lion, ten-armed and serene-yet-fierce, she is the goddess of courage — the calm warrior devotees turn to when they need steadiness of nerve.
• In Kashi's sacred geography, Chandraghanta represents Parvati in her married state, radiating both grace and martial strength.
• Pilgrims believe her darshan restores vitality, dispels fear, and grants the boldness to face injustice and hardship.
• During Chaitra Navratri (March–April) and Sharadiya Navratri (September–October), and especially on the third day of each, the otherwise quiet gali fills with a slow river of worshippers ringing the bell, offering marigolds and jasmine, and moving on to the next shrine on the Navadurga circuit.
• On ordinary days it is easy to walk right past this doorway; a discreet ask to a local shopkeeper will point you to it.
• For the vegetarian traveller, this pocket of old Kashi is a delight.
• The temple sits within a few minutes' walk of some of the city's most storied pure-vegetarian institutions.
• Ram Bhandar in Thatheri Bazar, running since 1887, is legendary for its kachori-sabzi and jalebi; Rajbandhu in nearby Kachori Gali serves crisp, ghee-fried kachoris; and the celebrated chaat counters of Godowlia and Bansphatak are a short stroll away.
• As always in Varanasi, if you order a thandai or lassi, ask plainly for a plain, bhang-free version — the intoxicant thandai is common in this area and is best avoided.
• Because the shrine is so small and threaded into a working residential-commercial lane, it rewards a respectful, unhurried visit: a quiet moment at the grille, a bell rung, and then the wider magic of Chowk's galis — brass shops, sari weavers, and the incense-thick approach to Kashi Vishwanath — waiting just outside.