Holi is a festival of colors, joy, and laughter, but in the mystical city of Varanasi, it takes a different and eerie form.

At Manikarnika Ghat, one of the most sacred cremation sites in India, Masan Holi is celebrated not with bright powders but with the ashes of the dead. It is a festival where life and death come together, where devotion meets the ultimate truth of existence.

A day after Rangbhari Ekadashi, when the entire country prepares for the grand festival of Holi, Shiva’s devotees gather at the cremation ground.

They believe that Lord Shiva himself plays Holi here, not with colors but with the ashes of those who have passed on. Smeared in sacred ash, the Aghori sadhus and Shiva devotees dance in trance, singing his name, celebrating the end of one life and the beginning of another.

The burning pyres serve as a reminder that everything in this world is temporary, and what remains in the end is the soul’s journey toward liberation.

According to legend, when Mata Parvati expressed her wish to celebrate Holi with Lord Shiva, he chose the cremation ground instead of the streets, signifying that true joy lies beyond worldly attachments.

Manikarnika Ghat, believed to be the gateway to moksha, turns into a space of both devotion and deep realization. Here, fear dissolves, death is embraced, and life is celebrated in its purest form.

Masan Holi is not just a festival; it is a reminder that in Varanasi, even in death, there is celebration. It is a dance of the fearless, a ritual of acceptance, and a festival that whispers the ultimate truth, nothing truly ends, only transforms.