Vishweshwar (Vishwanath) Jyotirlinga is located in the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh - a city continually inhabited for at least 3,500 years, believed to have been built by Lord Shiva himself.
Origin Story: According to the Rudra Koti Samhita of the Shiva Purana, when the eternal Sadashiva split into Shiva and Shakti, Purusha (Vishnu) and Prakriti sought a place to meditate and create the universe. Lord Shiva created a sacred city near them - as Vishnu meditated, sweat from his body formed pure water that expanded across the space, and Shiva supported it on his trident. A lotus grew from Vishnu's navel, giving rise to Brahma, who created the universe's 14 worlds. Shiva then picked up this sacred city with his trident and placed it on earth as Varanasi (Kashi), establishing himself there as the Abhimukteshwar Linga.
History: The temple has been demolished many times through the centuries, most recently in 1669 by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who built the Gyanvapi Mosque over its ruins, reusing many temple elements. The present temple was built nearby by Maratha queen Ahilya Bai Holkar in the 18th century. In 2021, the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor was completed, connecting the temple to the Ganga riverfront and leading to the rediscovery of dozens of ancient temples along the way.
An interesting local folklore explains why the Jyotirlinga sits in a corner rather than the temple's centre: two lingas, one for Shiva and one for Durga, kept sliding toward each other during their consecration ritual, until overnight they merged into a single linga with a groove - the Ardhanarishvara form, symbolising Shiva's wish to remain united with his consort.