At Manikarnika Ghat one comes face to face with
life and death. Manikarnika Ghat at Varanasi symbolizes mortality of
the world.
Manikarnika Ghat is the main cremation Ghat of
Varanasi. Manikarnika Ghat is one of the oldest and most sacred Ghats in
Benaras. According to the Hindu mythology, being burned here provides an
instant gateway to liberation from the cycle of births and rebirths.
Lying at the center of the five tirthas, Manikarnika Ghat symbolizes
both creation and destruction. At Manikarnika Ghat, the mortal remains
are consigned to flames with the prayers that the souls rest in eternal
peace. There is a sacred well at the Manikarnika Ghat, called the
Manikarnika Kund. Manikarnika Kund is said to be dug by Lord Vishnu at
the time of creation while the hot ashes of the burnt bodies makes one
remember the inevitable destruction of everything in the world.
