Manikarnika Ghat is one of the holiest cremation grounds among the sacred riverfronts, in the city of Varanasi in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The ghat is named after the earring of Sati lying here. The Hindu genealogy of Varanasi is preserved here. In Varanasi, The Manikarnika Ghat is one of the oldest ghats. In a Gupta inscription of the 5th century, it is mentioned. In the Hindu religion, it is revered. In a Yagya practiced by Daksh, Mata Sati sacrificed her life and set her body ablaze after Raja Daksh Prajapati tried to humiliate Lord Shiva in a Yagya practiced by Daksh, to the Himalayas, Lord Shiva took her burning body. Seeing Lord Shiva’s boundless grief, Vishnu sent the divine chakra to cut the body into 51 parts, which then fell on earth. These are called “Enaknya Shaktipeeth”. Lord Shiva established Shakti Peeth wherever Sati’s body fell. Mother Sati’s ear ornaments fell at Manikarnika Ghat. The Manikarnika Temple is an important shrine for the Shaktism sect of Hinduism. It is near the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Behind the origin of Shakti Peethas is the myth of Dakshina Yaga and Sati’s self-immolation. It is believed that Sati Devi’s earring fell here. Manikaran means earring in Sanskrit. Shakti Peethas are temples that are believed to have the presence of Shakti due to the falling body parts of Goddess Sati’s corpse, while Shiva carried it and moved around. In Sanskrit, there are 51 Shakti Peeth linking to the 51 letters or Akshar. For Shakti, each temple has shrines. As Vishalakshi & Manikarni, The Shakti of Manikarnika is addressed. Hindu mythology teaches that the ghat is especially sacred and people are cremated there to attain moksha. As the myth goes, Vishnu, after thousands of years of penance, tried to please Shiva, convincing him that he would not destroy the holy city of Kashi while destroying the world, which he managed to do. Lord Shiva came to Kashi along with Parvati to fulfill his wish for Vishnu. On the banks of the Ganges, Vishnu dug a kund for the couple to bathe. When Lord Shiva was bathing, a Mani fell from his earring into the kund, hence his name Manikarnika. There is another myth about the ghat: the earring received from Lord Shiva when he was dancing angrily, fell to the ground and thus the Manikarnika ghat was created.
