Manikarnika Ghat at Varanasi is the place where death is celebrated. It is the Ghat which is known for the cremation of the dead bodies for eternal peace. Every hour of the day, the corpses are burnt at this ghat. And also it is said to be the gateway to heaven.

Location

The Manikarnika Ghat is situated in Varanasi. It is one of the oldest ghats of Varanasi and is surrounded by the Scindia ghat and Dashashwamedh ghat. It is believed that the person who is cremated here immediately attains moksha (salvation).

Why is it famous?

Manikarnika gets mentioned since the Gupta inscription of the 5th century. It was built in 1303 and rebuilt in 1703 under the reign of Peshwa Bajirao. In 1791, Ahilya bai Holkar rebuilt the entire ghat. According to Hindu mythology, the story depicts that Manikarnika ghat is the place where the eye or the earring of the Sati fell when Lord Shiva was carrying her to the Himalayas.
The term mani: beads, Karn: ears, and hence the name Manikarnika.

It is believed that once cremated here, the ashes are released into the sacred purifying waters of the Ganges. And the person attains the reincarnation cycle and reaches heaven.

Since every hour, day and night the smoke engulfs the area, due to the cremation of human bodies, the ghat is said to be the burning ghat of Varanasi.

It is also believed that when Goddess Adi shakti, or Goddess Sati, jumped into the fire and immolated herself, Lord Shiva carried her burning body to the Himalayas, he was in sorrow and at that time Lord Vishnu sent his Divine chakra, cutting the body into 51 pieces. Each place where her pieces fell on Earth was declared as Shakti Peeth.

Overview

Another popular story narrated by the locals of Varanasi is the one where Lord Shiva or Goddess Sati lose their precious earring and desperately look for it since it had fallen here. Lord Shiva was always very fond of Kashi today known as Benaras and thus has one of the most beautiful Shiva temples in the world dedicated and devoted to him here where he is revered as Kashi Vishwanath and Lord Shiva is the Patron Deity of Kashi.

However, since they could not find the Earring it is believed that Shiv Shakti cursed the land and the curse stated that just as we burn and suffer to find our earrings, this land will constantly be burning every day. The curse was so intense that Lord Vishnu had to find the Manikarn himself and ask the Deities to take their curse back. However, the curse was irreversible and so Lord Shiva Modified the curse. He changed the damnation into salvation and said the Ghat will burn 24×7 but anyone whose body is cremated here shall attain salvation and their soul shall be free from all the sufferings of the material world.

Things to do

Although the ghat is closely related to Hindu rituals and mythology. It is a strange sight to experience. The sounds of priests chanting, the bodies burning, cremation rituals going around, and the air is filled with smoke and burning flames everywhere. The Ghat allows photography but travelers and tourists must be careful not to interfere with the rituals around.

There are many other surrounding ghats and tourist attractions around to visit such as

• Assi Ghat
• Lalita Ghat
• Man mandir ghat
• Dashashwamedh Ghat
• Kashi Vishwanath temple
• Ramnagar Fort
• Dhamek stupa
• Durga temple
• Tulsi Manas temple
• Hanuman mandir

Best time to visit

The Manikarnika Ghat of Varanasi is the busiest ghat of Varanasi as bodies are cremated every hour. The time to view the cremation is between 8 am to 7 pm every day. However, finding boats in the morning and evening time is hard due to high demand.

The winters are the best time to visit from the October to end of March. However, the worst time is the monsoon period from July till the end of August.

How to reach

Varanasi can be reached via railway, airways, and roadways. The nearest stop is the Godolia chowk. Hire rickshaws, autos or taxis to the chowk. From chowk walk towards the ghat, as the roads are very narrow. Nearby one can visit the Dashashwamedh ghat and the Scindia ghat. Tourists can hire boat rides to reach Manikarnika ghat. The vehicles are not allowed beyond the chowk as the lanes are very narrow.

Hence, the Manikarnika ghat is the oldest of the ghats in Hindu mythology. The ghat is believed to exist even before the Holy Ganges. The Manikarnika ghat is also famous as the temple of Lord Shiva and Mata Durga. The ghat also has a Manikarnika Kund, and the temples are the holy shrine of this ghat. The ghat is famous for cremation and one attains salvation from here. It is closely linked with Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. Thus is among the only burning ghat of Varanasi.