Masane ki Holi confined to Manikarnika temple this year

Varanasi: Undeterred by challenges from different quarters, the famed Masane ki Holi at Manikarnika Ghat was celebrated with traditional fervour on Saturday, a day after the Rangbhari Ekadashi festivities at Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Masane ki Holi at Harichandra Ghat. For the first time, Holi at Manikarnika Ghat was limited to the Mahashamshan Nath Temple premises as no one was allowed to celebrate with pyre ash on the ghat due to restrictions.ACP (Dashashwamedh) Atul Anjaan Tripathi said talks were held with the Manikarnika Ghat organisers, who said they would play Holi with pyre ash inside the temple. Due to restrictions, no one was allowed to play Holi with pyre ash on the ghat for the first time, he said.
He stated that only those involved in cremations could access Manikarnika Ghat, restricting others. The common public was not allowed to play Holi with ash on the ghat.The celebrations faced hurdles this year, mainly due to objections from Kashi Vidwat Parishad and some Dom Raja family members, who deemed the event as against the ‘shastras', saying family men should steer clear since pyre ashes are sprinkled amid chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev'. Overcrowding from funeral processions and disruptions from ongoing development work at Manikarnika Ghat added to the challenges.To tackle the challenges, security was tightened with a heavy police presence, drone surveillance, and personnel from 12 stations. Additional PAC and RRF forces were also deployed.Gulshan Kapoor, organiser of Baba Mahashmashaan Nath Temple, said Holi with pyre ash was played traditionally inside the temple post-worship and rituals, like every year. The ritual kicked off with a grand aarti at Mahashmashan Nath Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiv, where devotees smeared ashes and chanted ‘Har Har Mahadev'. Kapoor said the devotees of Lord Shiv celebrate Holi at Kashi Vishwanath Temple on the occasion of Goddess Parvati's ‘gauna' after their wedding on Mahashivratri. Myth says that on the next day, Lord Shiv goes to ‘Mahashmashana' (main cremation ground) to celebrate Holi with his ‘ganas' by sprinkling ‘chita bhasma'.