Varanasi is Shiva's own city, and Kashi Vishwanath is one of the twelve jyotirlingas, so the night held in his name is observed here more intensely than anywhere else. Queues form at the temple long before first light and do not really end until the following morning. Devotees fast through the day, pour water and milk and offer bel leaves to the linga, and many keep a vigil through all four watches of the night rather than sleeping.
Processions move through the old city, and smaller Shiva temples across the lanes — many of them unremarkable on any other day — are lit and crowded. The ghats and lanes stay busy late, and road traffic around Godowlia is restricted.
If you are travelling with someone elderly, the main temple on this night is not the place for them: the crowd is enormous and moves slowly through the Vishwanath corridor. Plan their darshan for the days either side, or visit a neighbourhood temple earlier in the day for the same observance without the crush.
