The Gyanvapi Mosque stands immediately beside the Kashi Vishwanath Temple — an arrangement that encapsulates centuries of religious conflict. Emperor Aurangzeb ordered the demolition of the original Vishweshwar Temple in 1669 and built a mosque in its place; the current structure, with its distinctive three domes and two minarets, dates to around 1678. Some remnants of the original temple, including ornate carved columns, were incorporated into the mosque's construction.
The mosque remains actively used by Muslims and is surrounded by heavy security fencing and police presence. Non-Muslims are not permitted to enter. A long-running legal dispute over ownership of the site has been an ongoing source of communal tension in Varanasi and across India.
The site is visible from Vishwanath Gali and from the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor. Its presence directly beside the rebuilt temple makes the contested history of the location immediately visible to any visitor.