Bhasm Holi Of Banaras: Unique Masan Holi Celebration At Manikarnika Ghat Varanasi

Bhasm Holi or Masan Holi 2024: Holi, the festival of colours and love, is one of the most widely celebrated festivals in India. Holi is a day of joy and celebration enjoyed with friends and family where people apply vibrant colours to each other's faces and bite into delicious sweets. This festival marks the onset of spring each year, and in many parts of India, it specifically commemorates the eternal love of Radha and Krishna. However, in Varanasi, Holi holds a unique association with its beloved dweller, Lord Shiva. In this city, three varieties of Holi are observed: the standard Holi, Rangbhari Ekadashi, and Masan ki Holi (Bhasm Holi). While the first one aligns with the nationwide celebration, the latter two represent Varanasi's distinctive versions of the festival.

Masan Holi: When Lord Shiva Plays Holi With Pyre Ashes In Varanasi

A day following Rangbhari Ekadashi, the devotees of Lord Shiva in Varanasi joyously engage in a distinctive tradition known as Masan or Bhasma Holi. Preserving ancient cultural practices, Shiva devotees participate in Bhasma Holi, utilising pyre ashes at the Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi.

Masan Holi is a unique celebration in Varanasi where Lord Shiva is believed to play Holi with pyre ashes. This distinctive observance adds a spiritual and sacred dimension to the traditional festival of colours in Varanasi. Devotees and residents partake in this special Holi celebration, marking a distinctive cultural and religious aspect of the festival in the city.

Masan Holi Varanasi 2024 Date

Varanasi's Bhasm Holi or Masan Holi 2024 is scheduled to be celebrated on Thursday, March 21st, 2024.

Why Varanasi's Masaan Holi is celebrated?

Rangbhari Ekadashi is observed five days before Holi, commemorating the reunion of Lord Shiva and Parvati. During this celebration, gods and devotees come together in a procession. A day after Rangbhari Ekadashi, Lord Shiva visits the cremation ground, known as masaan, to partake in another Holi celebration with his attendants (Ganas), ghosts, and spirits residing in that space. This unique event is referred to as Masaan ki Holi.

The juxtaposition of these two occasions symbolises the inherent contradictions in life. One event signifies the engagement of Lord Shiva with the world (Shakti) and its worldly illusions (Moh Maya). In contrast, the other is dedicated entirely to Lord Shiva as the destroyer and ruler of the cremation ground, embodying themes of renunciation, sanyas, and detachment from worldly affairs.

What is the story of Masan Holi?

Ash or "bhasma" is considered highly sacred to Lord Shiva. According to a mythological tale, on the second day of Rangbhari Ekadashi, Lord Shiva, accompanied by his entourage including Nandi, Bael, and others, visits the Manikarnika Ghat. There, he blesses devotees and engages in playing Holi with ash, symbolising the form of coloured powder (Gulaal Swarup). This ash is regarded as a symbol of purification and devotion to Lord Shiva.

According to some beliefs, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati celebrated Holi with other deities on Rangbhari Ekadashi after their marriage. However, as Lord Shiva's preferred supernatural beings, such as ghosts and vampires, do not participate in the festival, he returns to Masan Ghat the next day to play Holi with them. This tradition is said to signify Lord Shiva's acceptance and love for all beings, whether visible or invisible.

What is special about Manikarnika Ghat?

Banaras, often referred to as the city of Moksha, encourages people to embrace death as a blessing. Here, the flames burn perpetually on the ghats of the Ganges River. Manikarnika Ghat, the primary cremation ground in Banaras, witnesses this unique tradition amid the solemnity of cremation. The sight of Lord Shiva, along with his bhoot ganas (ghostly hosts), dancing and celebrating amidst the ashes can be unsettling. However, the Lord of the cremation ground, draped in a tiger skin, adorned with mundmala (a garland of skulls), playing with the ultimate colour of life (i.e., the colour of ash), and indulging in bhang (cannabis), seems oblivious to his surroundings, fully immersed in enjoyment.

Who can play Masan Holi?

According to tradition, locals, Naga Sadhus, and Aghoris gather at the Manikarnika Ghat to partake in Holi festivities using ashes from burning pyres. The celebration commences with a grand aarti at the Masaan temple near the Manikarnika Ghat. Devotees apply ashes to the Shivling, accompanied by the resonant sound of the damru. The energy during the event becomes so intense that you can feel its pulsating vibrations coursing through your nerves from the very start.

For more informative articles on historical and upcoming events from around the world, please visit?Indiatimes Events.?