{"id":91698,"date":"2025-03-01T10:54:23","date_gmt":"2025-03-01T05:24:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/instaastro.com\/blog\/?p=91698"},"modified":"2025-03-01T12:48:46","modified_gmt":"2025-03-01T07:18:46","slug":"kashi-manikarnika-ghat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/instaastro.com\/blog\/kashi-manikarnika-ghat\/","title":{"rendered":"Kashi Manikarnika Ghat: The Holiest Site For Moksha Prapti!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kashi Manikarnika Ghat symbolises life, death, and eternity. It is one of the oldest ghats in Uttar Pradesh, where people perform cremations. It is located on the banks of the river Ganga, next to Dashashwamedh Ghat and Scindia Ghat. So, let\u2019s explore this ghat further, as there\u2019s a lot to uncover.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Eng<\/b><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Manikarnima Ghat in Kashi\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

What strikes your mind when you talk about Varanasi? Kashi Manikarnika Ghat, right? This is one of the oldest ghats, often known as the holiest cremation ground or the burning ghat. The word \u201cMani,\u201d meaning earring, and Karna, referring to Goddess Parvati\u2019s earring that fell in the river while she was bathing, have derived from the word Manikarnika.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, the doms cremate around one hundred to two hundred bodies daily. Banaras Manikarnika ghat blurs the line between life and death, celebrating death as a path to liberation (moksha). It is also a home for one of the 51 Shakti peethas, where an earring of Sati fell.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Manikarnika Ghat Story: It\u2019s Sacred Myths<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

The oldest city, Kashi, and its most well-known Manikarnika ghat history revolve around several stories highlighting its rich history and significance in Hindu mythology.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Manikarnima as one of the 51 Shaktipeeth\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Among all the 51 Shaktipeeth, Manikarnika ghat Varanasi is one of the Shaktipeethas. Goddess Sati jumped into the Yagna after his father, Raja Daksh Prajapati, humiliated Lord Shiva. As a result, Lord Shiva, in deep grief, carried the burning body of Sati towards the Himalayas when Lord Vishnu threw his Sudharshan chakra to cut off the body of Sati into 51 pieces.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, Lord Shiva ensured that people would consider wherever Sati’s body part fell as a sacred shrine known as Shakti peethas. Sati Devi\u2019s earrings fell in Kashi Manikarnika Ghat during this time, and that\u2019s how it became one of the Shakti peethas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Curse of Mata Parvati\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Once, when Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati descended from Kailash for the first time to admire their creation, they landed in Manikarnika Kashi Ghat. They bathed in the Manikarnika Kund, which Lord Vishnu dug to please Lord Shiva. While they bathed, Lord Shiva\u2019s Mani (jewel) and Mata Parvati\u2019s Karnika (earring) disappeared in the kund.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite searching, they couldn\u2019t find their ornaments, and thus, Mata Parvati cursed the ghat to burn with an eternal flame that made Manikarna a cremation ground. However, Shiva\u2019s Kaalbhairav form resides in the Manikarnika Ghat that guides the soul of the people who choose to die in Manikarnika.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Also Read: Dashashwamedh Ghat: The Ghat of Ten Sacrificed Horses<\/a><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Tarak Mantra: The Whisper of Lord Shiva\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u201cRama Nama\u201d<\/b> is the most powerful mantra in Hinduism, which Lord Shiva whispers in people’s ears at their last rites. According to Shiva Purana, a strong belief circulates that if a person naturally dies in Kashi Manikarnika Ghat, Lord Shiva whispers the Tarak mantra in the ear. This leads them to the abode of Shiva, liberating them from the cycle of birth and death.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, due to this belief, Varanasi is known as the <\/span>\u201cCity of Salvation\u201d<\/b>, where the departed souls attain moksha (liberation). If you visit Manikarnika, you will witness people continuously burying dead bodies. The fire never goes out for a second, so they name it Mahashamshan. Therefore, this fire flame represents the burning away of karma, allowing the soul to merge with the divine.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How are funerary Rites Performed in Kashi Manikarnika Ghat?\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Manikarnika, a cremation site in Varanasi, is where the cycle of life and death ends. All the rituals follow the old Hindu tradition, allowing the body to seek moksha.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n