Manikarnika Ghat

Manikarnika Ghat is situated near the Ganga river, at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh in India. Manikarnika Ghat is one of the famous cremation ghats of Varanasi. As per Hindu traditions, the dead body is cremated to free one’s soul from the body. This process is also described as the last act, as from here, the human soul moves ahead to another life, possibly by concluding the present life’s journey.

As per the mythology and the Hindu religion, the soul goes through the cycle of life; that being so, the soul moves into another body after one life. So this cycle of life continues, and the soul is considered immortal. But the being whose soul gets Moksha (liberation) from this cycle, for that being this cycle of life stops.

It is believed that whoever is cremated at the Manikarnika Ghat gets salvation and liberation from the cycle of life. People who are aware of salvation and the life cycle and believe in the same generally yearn to die in Kashi. And they long to be cremated at Manikarnika Ghat.

When one visits Manikarnika Ghat, one becomes conscious that there is nothing worth in this life except good and bad deeds.

Legend

Manikarnika Ghat is related to two folk tales. As per the first legend, it is believed that Lord Vishnu was digging a pit using his Chakra, and at the same time, Lord Shiva was observing Lord Vishnu, the earring, “Manikarnika” fell into the hole drilled by Lord Vishnu.

According to the second legend: Once Lord Shankar and Parvati came to Kashi for a holy bath. During those days, a pool existed in place of the River Ganges. Goddess Parvati expressed her desire to take a bath in Kashi. While taking a bath, her earrings fell into the pool. So she asked Lord Shankar to find it for her. So Lord Shankar asked one of the 7 Brahmin priests to search for the earring. The Brahmin priest found the earring and said that I didn’t get it. Lord Shankar got angry and said: oh! Wicked (Chandal), you got the earrings and didn’t want to return them. He started begging for forgiveness and said Lord, as you have called me wicket (Chandal), now they will Outcast me. Lord Shankar felt pity for him and said, you will stay here and perform the cremation rituals of Hindus to get salvation (Moksh).

As per another ancient mythological saga, King Harishchandra bought Manikarnika Ghat’s owner as a slave and asked him to work on the Manikarnika and the Harishchandra Ghat.

Importance

Manikarnika Ghat is also well known by the name of Mahasmasan, which is regarded as one of the two prominent cremation ghats of the holy city of Varanasi. Another famous ghat of cremation is Harishchandra Ghat. Manikarnika ghat is chronically linked to the Hindu Gods named Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. It is accounted as cremated at this ghat attains Moksha, the salvation, redemption, and gets directly mingled into Lord Shiva.

Manikarnika Ghat is also famous because of Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga’s temple built by the Maharaja of Awadh around 1850. The temple has become a sacred altar of the ghat. A pious and holy pond named Cakra-Pushkarini Kund (Manikarnika Kund) is also there at the ghat, dug by Lord Vishnu. Following the historical records, the kund has been there before the origin of the Ganges.

It is also believed that the Charanapaduka (the footprints) of the Lord Vishnu are there at this ghat in a circular marble slab, as Lord Vishnu meditated for several years at the ghat.