Holi 2023: Why Does This Varanasi Ghat Celebrate “Masan Holi” with Ash?

Rangbhari Ekadashi is commemorated with the "Masan Holi" ritual. The practice, which is believed to be as old as Kashi itself, is organized five days before Holi and ushers in celebrations in the spiritual center of Uttar Pradesh.

This year, the Masan Holi celebrations got off to a spectacular start as followers of Aghor Peeth Baba Keenaram Ashram on a Shobha Yatra. More than 50,000 individuals took part in the march, most of whom were dressed as devotees of Lord Shiva. By 3 pm, the procession, which covered Sonarpura and Bhelupura in addition to its nearly 5 km length, came to an end at Raja Harishchandra Ghat.

A very different image was displayed at Raja Harishchandra Ghat, where revelers were spotted covered in Holi paint while standing around burning pyres. Mohit Shukla, who is from Kolkata and traveled to Varanasi to participate in Masan Holi, remarked, "It's unusual but true”.

People may have heard of specialty Holi festivities like the Barsana Holi, Lathmar Holi, and others, but Kashi's Masan Holi is still the most distinctive, according to Pawan Chowdhary, one of the event organizers at Harishchandra Ghat.

People from all walks of life gather at the cremation site amid the blazing pyres to participate in an ancient ritual of celebrating death to achieve moksha, he said. This tradition is not just practiced by saints, seers, and sadhvis.

Chowdhary belongs to the Dom community, where they celebrate Holi traditionally. Masan Holi is celebrated at the premises of Manikarnika Ghat which is the world’s biggest cremation ground, one day after Rangbhari Ekadashi (on Saturday), according to Gulshan, the event's organizer.

Previously, only celebrated by saints and seers, the tradition gained popularity when some groups stepped forward to arrange organized celebrations.

"Masan Holi is a tourist attraction in Kashi," according to Preeti Srivastava, deputy director of Varanasi tourism, the city draws both local and international visitors who wish to take part in this particular practice that is observed uniquely in Kashi.