Chita Bhasma Holi: A Spectacle of Tradition at Manikarnika Ghat

Devotees and Naga Sadhus celebrated Chita Bhasma Holi by playing Holi with funeral ashes at Manikarnika Ghat. The festival, opposed by scholars, involved Sadhus performing rituals and dances. Despite safety concerns and criticism, it attracts global visitors to experience this intense encounter with life’s ultimate truth.

Devotees and Naga Sadhus partook in the rare 'Chita Bhasma Holi' at Manikarnika Ghat, infusing the festival with solemnity and tradition by using funeral ashes. The event saw the Naga Sadhus embellished with garlands of human skulls, brandishing tridents, and engaging in the fierce 'Tandava' dance.

Organised by Gulshan Kapoor, the ritual took place following a grand 'aarti' at the Mahashamshan Nath temple. Despite facing opposition from religious scholars such as the Kashi Vidvat Parishad, who argue the practice contradicts scriptural traditions, the event pulled in crowds and foreign tourists, draped in ash and colours.

Preparations for the festival are extensive, beginning six months in advance, with daily ash collection from the cremation ground. While women were advised to steer clear due to safety concerns, thousands of participants gathered at the Ghat, drawn by the unique spiritual experience offered by Lord Shiva's holi with pyre ashes, which symbolizes a profound awareness of life and death.

(With inputs from agencies.)