A Holi Played Alongside the Corpses: The Masan Holi of Varanasi

Just 500 meters from the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, on an eerie ghat, a family is performing the last rights of their loved one. Right next to it, even when the ashes are not completely cooled, people are applying them on each other's faces to celebrate a festival, only unique to Varanasi. This is where Kashi transforms into a place unlike any other - a hauntingly revered place where death and life are celebrated together. Proving the very notion, Masan Holi - a Holi played with the ashes is celebrated with great vigour on the Manikarnika ghat, a ghat where people pay homage to the deceased. 

As a diverse nation, every festival, even if it holds the same meaning, is celebrated with different rituals across boundaries. While Mathura in Uttar Pradesh and Pushkar in Rajasthan mark the Kapda Faad Holi, and Barsana and Nandgaon in the north host the vibrant Lathmar Holi, another part of Uttar Pradesh prepares for a more sombre celebration. Here, the Bhasma Holi commences with Rangbhari Ekadashi.

Rangbhari Ekadashi is a traditional festival of Kashi to celebrate the 'Gauna' (a Hindu wedding ceremony) of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, who got married on Maha Shivratri. After taking a holy dip in the river Ganga, devotees visit Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Here, they apply Gulal on each other, which is believed to be a tradition that lord shiva followed with Parvati when he brought her to Kashi after their marriage. “On this day, people dress up as Lord Shiva, Parvati, and the Baratis to take out a procession which starts from Mahant's house in Tedhi Neem and ends at the Kashi Vishwanath temple,” says Keyur Shah, a travel photographer and creator. The devotees play with colours and dance to the rhythm of Damru and other instruments to mark the ‘Gauna.’

“The very next day, a different kind of Holi unfolds—one played with ashes rather than colours,” Keyur observes. On the Manikarnika Ghat, where cremations occur, people gather to celebrate by smearing ashes on one another. The exact reason is not known but playing with ashes symbolises the acceptance of death and the cyclical nature of life, rather than the traditional Holi colours. 

“The idea of playing with ashes struck me when I was filming the Mathura Holi and that is when I decided to witness this unique celebration. Upon arriving here, I was prepared for a lifetime experience that turned out to be a little sombre for me,” says the creator. According to Keyur’s encounter, people here misbehaved rather than celebrating the festival in its true spirit. It was difficult for him to navigate through a pool of crowd, not allowing him to do his work. 

Fatigued and reflective, he quietly sat at the ghat thinking of the next step. That is when he saw a group of people cosplaying Lord Shiva and his friends. “I immediately picked up my camera and started shooting them, and what I captured turned out to be truly magical,” he recalls. His experience serves as a reminder that even in a place steeped in solemnity, moments of unexpected beauty can emerge.   

In Kashi, life and death are not opposites but intertwined realities celebrated with passion and authenticity. Whether through the joyous chaos of coloured festivities or the reflective, sombre rituals involving ashes, the city remains a testament to the enduring spirit of tradition and the ever-present dance between the ephemeral and the eternal.