There are only a few places in the world that can bear the burden of history as easily as Kashi or Varanasi. This sacred city embodies the soul of our civilization and symbolizes the resilience that we have displayed in the face of many adversities and deadly attacks over the centuries. ?Prateeksha Shiva Ki: Unveiling the Truth of Gyan Vapi Kashi? re-presents the history, antiquity and sanctity of Kashi as the abode of Lord Shiva in the form of Vishveshwar or Vishwanath. Shiva himself had assured his devotees that if they performed their mortal coil in this city then they would attain salvation. This book throws light on the history of this self-manifested Swayambhu Jyotirlinga temple of Vishveshwar, which has been both a place of refuge for devotees for centuries and the target of bloody waves of iconoclasm. However, whenever an attempt was made to destroy the temple by demolishing it, it appeared before the people with even greater rise and glory. This book documents these cataclysmic events that occurred in the temple's history. The final blow to the temple was given in 1669 by the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb, who dismantled the temple and erected some domes on the partially destroyed western wall to call it a mosque. The area now known as the Gyan Vapi Masjid and the surrounding land adjacent to the new temple of Vishwanath was built in the late 18th century and has always been the subject of intense controversy. There have been bloody riots in Varanasi many times before regarding this issue. During the colonial era, the doors of British courts were approached to settle the issue of possession and they also gave their judgment on the matter several times. Even after Independence, the desire to 'liberate' this complex continued to grow in the Hindu psyche. In such a situation, a new case filed before the Varanasi Civil Court in 2021 once again reopened the long-standing historical wound. Despite several appeals to the Supreme Court to dismiss the petition, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was ordered to survey the complex, which revealed the truth through its findings in January 2024. This latest offering from Vikram Sampath is a reminder of the long history of this controversial site and the dramatic twists and turns that have taken place in the strange past of this ancient temple. The long buried secrets of Gyanvapi finally find voice through this book.