Shree Asi Madhav Ji Mandir, Prayagraj: The Vishnu of the Serpent-Shrine, One of the Twelve Madhavs, Timings and Darshan Guide

ॐEssential info at a glance

ॐAsi Madhav timings and aarti

The temple keeps a split day, open from 5:00 AM to noon and again from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM, with a closure through the afternoon for the rest of the deity. Its aartis are the morning aarti, around 5:30 to 6:00 AM, and the evening aarti, around 6:30 to 7:00 PM. Entry is free, and on ordinary days the shrine is calm and easily approached; but great crowds converge here, as at the Nagvasuki temple, during the Magh Mela, the month of Kartik, and the Kumbh, when only an early-morning visit avoids the heavy rush. The best time is the morning, from about 6:00 to 11:00 AM, and above all right after the holy bath at the Sangam.

ॐShree Asi Madhav Ji Mandir: the Vishnu of the serpent-shrine

As Kashi is the Shiv Nagari, the city of Shiva, so Prayag is the Vishnu Nagari, the city of Vishnu, guarded on every side by the twelve Madhavs, the twelve forms of the Lord. And among them is Shree Asi Madhav, whose ancient idol is enshrined within the famous Nagvasuki temple, the temple of the great serpent-king Vasuki, at Daraganj upon the bank of the holy Ganga. It is a place of a rare and beautiful union, where the Lord Vishnu, as Asi Madhav, keeps company with the king of the serpents; and it is a cherished stop upon the round of the twelve guardians of Prayag, taken by the pilgrim after the holy bath at the Sangam.

ॐThe ancient idol of the serpent-shrine

The story of Asi Madhav is bound up with the story of the Nagvasuki temple, and it is a moving one. For the tradition tells that the ancient temple was once, in the long past, lost and swallowed into the waters of the Ganga; and that later, from its recovered remains, there were found again the sacred and ancient idols of the Lord Ganesha and of Asi Madhav, the Vishnu, which were then lovingly re-established in the new temple that stands upon the spot today. So it is that the Nagvasuki temple is itself honoured by the name of Asi Madhav; and so it is that Asi Madhav is an ancient and deeply-rooted Lord, an idol saved from the very river and restored to the worship of the faithful, the Vishnu-guardian abiding within the shrine of the serpent-king. There is a special grace in bowing before a Lord so recovered and so restored.

ॐThe Vishnu and the serpent-king

There is a deep and beautiful fitness in Asi Madhav, the Vishnu, abiding here with Nagvasuki, the serpent-king, for the bond of Lord Vishnu and the serpents runs through the whole of our tradition. It was on the counsel of Lord Vishnu himself, the tradition tells, that the great serpent Vasuki, wounded and weary from the churning of the cosmic ocean, came at last to Prayag and was healed and made whole in its holy waters, and there chose to abide. And it is upon the coils of the infinite serpent Ananta-Shesha that Lord Vishnu himself reclines, in his cosmic rest upon the ocean of eternity, as the Anant Madhav recalls. So at this holy spot the Lord and his serpent keep company, the Vishnu and the Naga together, a lovely meeting of the two. As for the name of Asi, the tradition takes it as the asi, the sword, the Nandaka, the sword of Lord Vishnu, the blade of divine knowledge that cuts through all ignorance and delusion.

ॐThe Dwadash Madhav Parikrama

Asi Madhav is one of the great company of the twelve Madhavs, the twelve forms of Vishnu that guard the holy field of Prayag, and a station upon the Dwadash Madhav Parikrama, the sacred circuit of all twelve. The pilgrims of Prayag undertake this circuit for the highest merit, for it is held that the full fruit of the holy bath at the Triveni Sangam is realised only upon the completion of the round of the twelve guardians, and that to walk it is a merit equal to encircling the whole cosmos. And Asi Madhav lies conveniently in Daraganj, close by the Sangam and near the chief Madhav, the Veni Madhav; so that, after the Sangam snan and the darshan of the serpent-king, the pilgrim bows here to the Vishnu-guardian, and moves on upon the sacred round.

ॐThe Lord of the serpent-shrine, in my own words

By Rajeev Sharma, guide with Experience My India

When I take my pilgrims to the Nagvasuki temple, our serpent-king's shrine at Daraganj, I always show them that the Vishnu enshrined there is Asi Madhav, one of our twelve Madhavs, so that the temple is also called Asi Madhav. And I tell them the moving story, that the old temple was once lost into the Ganga, and that the ancient idols of Ganesha and of this Asi Madhav were found again in the remains and re-established here; so it is a Lord recovered from the very river, which people find very special.

And I love to explain the beautiful fitness of it, that here the Vishnu keeps company with the serpent-king Vasuki, whom Vishnu himself sent to be healed at our Sangam; and I tie it to our Anant Madhav, the Vishnu who reclines on the infinite serpent, so my pilgrims see how the Lord and the serpents belong together. I fit Asi Madhav into the full Dwadash Madhav Parikrama, which is easy here, since it is right by the Sangam and near our Veni Madhav in Daraganj. We go through the narrow old lanes on foot. A deep, ancient, beautiful spot, and I love to share it.

In more than forty years of guiding, showing a pilgrim this Lord recovered from the river, keeping company with the serpent-king, is among the most moving things I do.

ॐWhat to see and do

• Take the darshan of Shree Asi Madhav, the Vishnu-Madhav, within the Nagvasuki temple.
• See the union of the Lord Vishnu and the serpent-king Vasuki at one holy spot.
• Come right after the Sangam snan, as the tradition bids.
• Offer Tulsi and flowers, and chant the Vishnu Sahasranama.
• Include Asi Madhav in the Dwadash Madhav Parikrama, the circuit of the twelve.

ॐHow to reach Asi Madhav

Asi Madhav is within the Nagvasuki temple at Bakshi Nagar, Daraganj, on the bank of the Ganga near Dashashwamedh Ghat; the lanes are narrow with no car parking, so come on foot, by e-rickshaw or by two-wheeler.

Come on foot through the old Daraganj lanes.

ॐBest time to visit and how to plan it

• Pair it with Nagvasuki, the Sangam, and Veni Madhav on the Dwadash Madhav Parikrama.
• Visit right after the Sangam snan, with the serpent-king's darshan.

For Prayagraj, or a combined Kashi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj pilgrimage, planned end to end, see our tour packages.

ॐAccessibility for elderly and mobility limited visitors

• The approach is through narrow lanes, and the Nagvasuki temple has a few steps; a helper is useful for the frail.
• Come in the cool of the morning for the calmest, easiest visit.
• The shrine is modest and the darshan quick on ordinary days.
• We arrange transport to the nearest point and help with the walk and the steps.

ॐEtiquette for visiting

• Remove footwear and be reverent; offer Tulsi and flowers in the Vaishnava custom.
• Be respectful before both the Lord Vishnu and the serpent-king Vasuki of the temple.
• Mind the narrow lanes and the steps, and keep children close on the way in.
• Keep the place clean, and follow the priests and any queue in the Mela season.

ॐOur guided darshan and Prayagraj tours

We are a Varanasi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj based operator, a unit of Experience My India, with more than forty years of guiding pilgrims across all three holy cities, and our own local guide and pandit in Prayagraj. Darshan is free, so what we offer is the experience made smooth and meaningful: the way through the old Daraganj lanes to Asi Madhav within the serpent-shrine, a guide who tells the story of the recovered idol and the union of the Lord and the serpent, the full Dwadash Madhav Parikrama for the devout, and the whole Prayagraj and three-city pilgrimage.

Inclusions and exclusions are stated up front, with any taxes and conditions, and no charge appears later that was not named. Darshan is free; our charge is only for guiding, transport and services. See all our tour packages for the full range.

Experience My India is a travel operator, not the temple administration. Darshan is free; our charge is only for our guiding, transport and services. Timings and rules are set by the temple and can change.

ॐNearby sacred sites in Prayagraj

Asi Madhav is one of the twelve Madhavs, within the Nagvasuki temple in Daraganj.

For the serpent-king's shrine within which Asi Madhav abides, see our Nagvasuki guide.