‘Shamshan no place for festivities’: Kashi Vidvat Parishad opposes ‘Masane Ki Holi’ in Varanasi

VARANASI (UP): (Feb 23) The Kashi Vidvat Parishad, a council of Sanskrit scholars and experts on Hindu scriptures, has opposed the tradition of playing ‘Masane Ki Holi’ on the city’s cremation grounds – Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats – claiming the practice does not follow scriptures.

‘Masane ki Holi’ or ‘Bhasm Holi’ is a tradition played on the day after Rangbhari Ekadashi, marking the beginning of Holi, on the Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats in Varanasi, where seers and devotees play with ashes and gulal from burning funeral pyres.

The phrase ‘masan’ means cremation ground, and the observance symbolises the cycle of life and death and Shiva’s renunciation. Devotees describe the use of ash as a reminder of mortality and detachment.

Source: PTI News

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