Why Steve Jobs' wife wasn’t allowed to touch Shivling in Varanasi

In India to attend Maha Kumbh 2025, Laurene Powell Jobs, wife of the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi on Sunday (January 12). However, she was not allowed to touch the Kashi Vishwanath Shivling.

She later travelled to Prayagraj, where she will stay at the Niranjini Akhara camp till January 15, before returning to the US to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Donald Trump on January 20.

Upholding protocol

Spiritual leader Swami Kailashanand Giri Maharaj explained that it is his duty to uphold certain protocols and follow Indian traditions.

Also read: Maha Kumbh Mela begins, nearly 60 lakh people take holy dip at Sangam

Highlighting her respect for Indian spirituality, Swami Kailashanand Giri told ANI, “She is very religious and spiritual. She wants to learn about our traditions... She respects me as a father and a Guru... Everyone can learn from her. Indian traditions are being accepted by the world.”

Clarifying the temple’s strict protocols, he said, “There is no dispute (regarding her visit to Kashi Vishwanath Temple). I want to make this very clear. I am an Acharya and it is my job to follow the traditions, and fundamental principles and maintain the conduct... She is my daughter, and Maharishi Vyasananda was also there. All of our family did 'Abhishek' and worshipped... She was given prasad and a garland, but there is a tradition that anyone other than a Hindu cannot touch Kashi Vishwanath.”

Spiritual engagement

The Maharaj further mentioned that Laurene Powell Jobs respected the temple's traditions and was planning to take a dip in the Ganga.

She was given the Hindu name 'Kamala' by Kailashnand Giri, symbolising her spiritual engagement. Dressed in a salwar-suit, she was welcomed to the camp with trumpets and served tea in a traditional kulhad. She later participated in the Pattabhishek (coronation) ceremony of Vyasanand Giri Maharaj.

The Maha Kumbh, being celebrated after 12 years, is expected to draw over 40 crore devotees. During the event, devotees will gather at the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers, to take a holy dip. The Mahakumbh will conclude on February 26.

The main bathing rituals (Shahi Snan) of the Kumbh will occur on January 14 (Makar Sankranti), January 29 (Mauni Amavasya), and February 3 (Basant Panchami).

Also read: Maha Kumbh: Controversy erupts over installation of Mulayam's statue in fair area

Steve’s India experience

Interestingly, Steve Jobs, the late co-founder of Apple, also visited India in the mid-1970s. He travelled to Neem Karoli Baba’s ashram in Kainchi, Uttarakhand, to seek spiritual enlightenment during a period of personal and professional uncertainty. Although Neem Karoli Baba had passed away in 1973, Jobs spent time at the ashram, an experience that profoundly impacted him. He later attributed his vision of simplicity and focus — core principles of Apple's design philosophy — to this spiritual journey.

Later, Jobs told Walter Isaacson, who wrote a biography on him, “The main thing I’ve learned is intuition, that the people in India are not just pure rational thinkers, that the great spiritual ones also have an intuition.” After returning from India, Jobs, along with his friend Steve Wozniak, founded Apple Computer in 1976.