<P> The temple has been referred to in Hindu scriptures for a very long time as a central part of worship in the Shaiva philosophy . It has been destroyed and re-constructed a number of times in history . The last structure was demolished by Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor who constructed the Gyanvapi Mosque on its site . The current structure was built on an adjacent site by the Maratha ruler, Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore in 1780 . </P> <P> Since 1983, the temple has been managed by the government of Uttar Pradesh . During the religious occasion of Shivratri, Kashi Naresh (King of Kashi) is the chief officiating priest . </P> <P> The temple has been mentioned in the Puranas including the Kashi Khanda (section) of Skanda Purana . The original Vishwanath temple was destroyed by the army of Qutb - ud - din Aibak in 1194 CE, when he defeated the Raja of Kannauj as a commander of Mohammad Ghori . The temple was rebuilt by a Gujarati merchant during the reign of Delhi's Sultan Iltutmish (1211 - 1266 CE). It was demolished again during the rule of either Hussain Shah Sharqi (1447 - 1458) or Sikandar Lodhi (1489 - 1517). Raja Man Singh built the temple during Mughal emperor Akbar's rule, but orthodox Hindus boycotted it as he had let the Mughals marry within his family . Raja Todar Mal further re-built the temple with Akbar's funding at its original site in 1585 . </P> <P> In 1669 CE, Emperor Aurangzeb destroyed the temple and built the Gyanvapi Mosque in its place . The remains of the erstwhile temple can be seen in the foundation, the columns and at the rear part of the mosque . </P>

Who rebuilt kashi vishwanath temple in 16 16th century