| Manikarnika Ghat | |
|---|---|
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 25°18′39.134″N83°0′50.708″ECoordinates: 25°18′39.134″N 83°0′50.708″E |
| Country | India |
Manikarnika Ghat is one of the holiest among the sacred riverfronts (ghats), alongside the river Ganga. It is believed that a dead human’s soul finds salvation (moksha), when cremated here. Thus, scores of the elderly across the whole country seek to walk up to its edges, and spend their last days absorbing the charisma of the ghat – which makes even death painless and insignificant to be pondered upon.
In India, death is considered as a gateway to another life received as a result of our past actions .The Hindu genealogy registers at Varanasi are kept here.
In Varanasi, establishments offer moksha-seekers a place to await death. It is said that dying in Kashi, brings liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth. For centuries, this prospect is what has motivated the devout to go to Varanasi in their last days. And while in earlier times moksha-seekers would be indistinguishable among the crowd, living out their days in the homes of local residents, today most spend their days, or at times years at one of the many salvation homes in the older part of the holy city.
Location
The Manikarnika Ghat is flanked by the Dashashwamedh Ghat and the Scindia Ghat. It is situated in Varanasi, India.
History
_-_1922.jpg)
Manikarnika Ghat in 1922. Temples are L to R: Baba Mashan Nath, Lower level: Tarkeshwar and Ratneshawar, upper level: Tripur Sundari and Ganesh
It is one of the oldest ghats in Varanasi. The Manikarnika Ghat is mentioned in a Gupta inscription of 5th century.It is revered in Hindu religion. When Mata Sati (Aadi shakti mata) sacrificed her life & set her body ablaze after Raja Daksh Prajapati (one of the sons of Lord Brahma) tried to humiliate Lord shiva in a Yagya practiced by Daksh. Lord Shiva took her burning body to the Himalaya. On seeing the unending sorrow of Lord shiva, Vishnu sends the Divine chakra to cut the body into 51 parts which fall on earth. They are called “Ekannya Shaktipeeth”. Lord Shiva established Shakti Peeth wherever Sati’s body had fallen. At Manikarnika ghat, Mata Sati’s Ear’s ornament had fallen.
Manikarnika Kund
Ratneshwar Mahadev temple, Varanasi, India
The well at the ghat is called Manikarnika Kund and was built by Lord Vishnu.
Proposal
A proposal for renovating the Manikarnika ghat has been proposed by Departments of Landscape Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC), USA, and Bhanubhen Nanavati College of Architecture for Women (BNCA), Pune, India. A proposal for renovating and redevelopment the Manikarnika ghat is in progress by Eastern Infrastructure Fund of Varanasi, India