The eternal fire lights the air and the essence around. Once you make a tip to Manikarnika Ghat Varanasi your perspective for life shall change forever. As they say, “Kashi is the light of liberation, it is the land of liberation” and you will feel it at Manikarnika ghat.
Of the 84 ghats in Varanasi, Manikarnika ghat is the culminating one as it brings down curtains to what we all know as life. A city, embroiled in its own essence, Banaras or Varanasi is the city where both life and death are celebrated.
Manikarnika Ghat History
Engraved in mythology, Manikarnika Ghat Varanasi has an interesting epitome of events that uncovered over ages. The Manikarnika ghat story began when Mata Sati or Adi Shakti set herself to fire as King Daksha humiliated Lord Shiva during a Yagna.
Lord Shiva took the body of Mata Sati with him to Kailash and was in agony. Lord Vishnu on seeing this through his divine chakra cut the body into 51 parts and these fell on different locations on the earth. These body parts fell at 51 places now known as Shakti peeth. Of these body parts, her ear fell at this place and hence it is named as “Manikarnika”.
As per another Manikarnika ghat story, it is said that Lord Vishnu mediated for thousands of years and wanted to make Lord Shiva to agree at the assumption of not destroying Kashi along with rest of universe. Lord Shiva then went to Vishnu along with Parvati and Lord Vishnu thereafter dug a well for both to bathe in. A jewel from ear of Mata Parvati fell into this Kund and hence the place was named Karnika or ear.
Image Courtesy: Image by Ayan Bose from Pixabay
Spiritual Insights from Manikarnika Ghat
Manikarnika Ghat has a spiritual instinct of its own. You will find people from all over the world at this ghat. The culture and tradition of Varanasi finds its epitome in the burning pyres here and you will have to feel this experience first-hand to imbibe this within you.
Every corner of the ghat has its spiritual insight to offer. Chants of pundits reverberate through air as they churn out shlokas. At some other corner you will find bodies burning on the pyre signifying that nothing is permanent in this world. As the night dwells, the light of fire gets darker and create a unique ambiance.
Rituals at Manikarnika
Dead bodies wrapped in white colored cloth are brought here amidst chants of “Ram Nam Satya Hai” Huge piles of firewood await the dead here signifying the fact that life is to begin again once the soul is liberated from the body.
Before the pyre is lit by the eldest son of the family, the same is bathed in Ganges and clarified butter is put on the logs of wood so that the body find its eternal peace in the way it deserves.
The ashes are then collected and immersed in Ganges thus freeing the soul from the body and making it embark on a new journey of life and death. This cycle of life and death continues until Moksha is attained and Manikarnika Ghat is considered auspicious for this ritual as it is also considered as door to heaven.
Auspicious in its Eternity
Initially, Manikarnika ghat in Varanasi was no short of a Teerth or a pilgrimage site and it slowly evolved as a cremation ground. However, only the southern end of the ghat is considered for cremation while devotees line up on the northern edge for having a dip in the holy Ganges. Rituals are performed at the ghat on auspicious occasions like Surya Gharan or solar eclipse, Chandra Grahan or Lunar Eclipse, Ekadashi and other religious occasions.
Image Courtesy: Image by Arpit Sahani from Pixabay
When to visit Manikarnika
Ideally, you can visit the ghat from 8 am to 8 pm. However, cremations continue at night also and on an average 300 creations take place at this ghat every day. If you visit this place, respect the sanctity of the occasion and do not click Manikarnika ghat photos. The occasion would be better to feel and experience, what we all know as life.
How to Reach
Varanasi can be approached by air, rail and road routes. The airport is at Babatpur which is 25 Km from the city. If travelling by road, you can take a cab till Godoulia chowk. The ghat is at a walking distance from this chowk. If travelling by boat, the ghat can be approached either through Dashashwamedh ghat or the Scindia ghat.
Death is inevitable and in the daily commotion of life, we all forget this fact. The billowing smoke from the burning pyres at Manikarnika Ghat Varanasi is a testimony to the fact that nothing is permanent in this world. Come and experience the divinity of death at Manikarnika Ghat. This is one of its kind of unique place where even death is celebrated so that the soul on its liberation finds a new path.
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