Mashaan ki Holi@Manikarnika Ghat at Varanasi

Holi - the grand festival of Colours and Love - marks the beginning of spring season every year and also coincides with the eternal love of Radha and Lord Krishna.

At Varanasi, one of the Jyothirlinga sthals, even Holi is associated with Lord Shiv. At Kasi, three types of Holi are being celebrated. Apart from regular holi, Rangbhari Ekadashi and Masaan Ki Holi are celebrated. . The latter two are of Varanasi"s own unique versions. In mythological terms, Lord Shiv celebrates holi with his devotees at Kashi Vishwanath Mandir as soon as he comes here with His Consort on the occasion of Rangbhari Ekadashi.

Ranghbari Ekadashi is celebrated five days before holi to commemorate the reunion of Lord Shiv with his Shakthi, where it is believed that the divine Shiv Shakthi and their devotees join in the procession. A day after Ranghbhari Ekadashi, Lord Shiv visits mashto celebrate holi with his attendants (????? ??? ?? ??), ghosts and spirits that live at the cremation ground celebration of which is known as “Mashaan Ki Holi’. It is pertinent to note that while the first one is considered as reunion of Shiva and Shakthi, the latter one is dedicated to the destruction or renunciation.

At Varanasi, people play holi with ashes collected from burnt out pyres - symbolic to the spiral nature of human life on earth, where change is the only constant thing and nothing in this universe is permanent. Ther are more than 60 Ghats by the side of River Ganga in Varanasi. Thousands of people gather at famous Manikarnika Ghat , Assi Ghat etc to play holi with ashes by smearing each other with the pyre ash. and after that they start celebrating holi with colors. Prior to that, the devotees offer their prayers at Mahashamashan Nath mandir, the Lord of cremation bhoomi. They then smear colours and ash on each other while dancing to the tunes of folk songs.