At Varanasi’s Manikarnika Ghat, renovation row does not pause life — or death

Vinay Tiwari, a local resident who is at the ghat to attend the final rites of a relative, says: “There is an urgent need to renovate the cremation ground. There is no proper waiting area for families, and because of the heavy rush, they often wait hours.”

In Hinduism, Manikarnika, one of Varanasi’s 84 ghats, is considered among its oldest and most sacred cremation grounds. More than a hundred bodies are brought daily to the ghat, with cremations held day and night. Given the pressure, apart from the open area, cremations are also held on the terrace of the main crematorium building.

The Manikarnika renovation work, which is expected to cover an area of 90,000 sq feet and cost Rs 20 crore, is funded by West Bengal firm Rupa Foundation as part of its ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’. It was launched in 2023, and the plan is to renovate the crematorium, with modern amenities, to create “a more organised, dignified, and humane environment”, for mourners who come from across the country.

The work, which is expected to be finished by September this year, had to be halted for some time after rains raised the Ganga waters. Construction resumed around two months ago, and about 20% of the work is done. But, word of it got around only after allegations surfaced regarding the demolition of the statue of Holkar, who is revered for funding the rebuilding of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in the 18th century after its destruction by Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.

This week, the Pal community, which claims deep association with Holkar, protested at the spot near the cremation site at Manikarnika where the structure was allegedly demolished.

On Saturday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took on the Opposition after offering prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, claiming that “conspiracies are being hatched to obstruct development projects” launched by his government. “It was necessary for me to come here today so that correct facts could be placed before the public.”

Additional District Magistrate, Varanasi, Alok Kumar, told The Indian Express that artwork (kalakriti) was affected during the renovation. District Magistrate Satyendra Kumar said it was kalakriti carved on the walls of a mani (platform) that had actually got affected, and that other artwork had been “secured” by the Department of Culture and would be reinstalled later in its original form.

Minister Ravindra Jaiswal told mediapersons in Varanasi that a mani is a platform at the Ghat for people to sit, meditate or do yoga, with idols on its walls. “The contractor did not notice them… The government has taken note, and the idols are safe and would be put back.”

BJP Varanasi MLA Neelkant Tiwari reiterated this, adding: “Since these manis are 200, 300, or even 400 years’ old, their reconstruction is also important as they are symbols of the beauty of Kashi.” Tiwari added that the damage to the manis was not intentional but caused due to “vibrations” of the construction activity. “No temple or idol associated with the Kashi Khand has been damaged, demolished, or will be demolished.”

The Congress and SP, which have taken up the matter, however, call it another example of destruction of heritage “in the name of crude beautification and commercialization”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “used bulldozers” at Manikarnika Ghat, said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. “You want to erase every historical legacy and affix your own nameplate everywhere,” he wrote on social media, linking it to the demolitions during the construction of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor, which had drawn protests.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav said that no true devotee could tolerate “the insult to the statue of the revered Rajmata, Punyashlok, Dharamrakshika Devi Ahilyabai Holkar, nor the disrespect shown towards the Sanatani heritage of Kashi”.

 The renovation

Members of the Dom community, who traditionally conduct the cremation rites at the ghat and act as its caretakers, say the reconstruction began at the request of the late Jagdish Chaudhary, the titular “Dom Raja”. Chaudhary was one of the proposers when Modi filed his nomination from the Varanasi parliamentary seat in 2019, and he reportedly flagged the lack of basic facilities at the Ghat to the PM.

Chaudhary passed away in August 2020, and now several of his close relatives claim the title of ‘Dom Raja’. Says one of them, Vishwanath Chaudhary: “There are no proper toilets, changing rooms for women, or adequate seating and waiting arrangements for people at the Ghat. My uncle also pointed out the absence of clear regulations governing shops selling firewood and other cremation-related items, adding to the difficulties faced by families.”

The renovation plan includes setting up visitor restrooms, a designated mundan (head-shaving) area, covered seating, docking points for boats bringing in bodies, a waste area, restrooms, and two renovated sections for lighting pyres – one open-air, with 18 platforms for bodies, and another on the first floor of the crematorium building, with 19 platforms. A ramp will connect the two floors to make it easier to carry bodies up.

There will also be a designated area to prepare bodies for the final rites, another to store firewood, and a registration mechanism to expedite the process. Nineteen chimneys which will be around 25 metres in height will be set up to address the long-standing complaint of residents of ashes blowing into their homes.

A part of the exercise also includes clearing passages to Manikarnika Ghat. Right now, mourners who don’t use boats get down about 700 metres away, where the road ends, and cover the rest of the distance with the bodies on foot, down lanes that are barely 5 ft in width.

However, the government has assured, no construction work will be carried out along these passages, or any structure demolished.

Varanasi Mayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari says that a recent decision waiving off boat fare for those bringing bodies to the Ghat has also helped families.

An official of Rupa Foundation, which is funding the project, said the construction work is being monitored regularly and would be finished by this year.

The residents

With memories still fresh of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor construction – which led to the displacement of many families settled here for centuries – authorities rush to reassure that no such changes are on the plans at Manikarnika.

Tiwari, 38, a resident of Varanasi’s Lanka area who has grown up visiting the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the surrounding areas, is among those who backs the work, saying the Ghat could not have continued the way it was. “Even the ground is often wet, and there is a risk of slipping.”

Dinesh Yadav, 32, who runs a firewood shop near Manikarnika, gives the example of monsoons, when cremations in the open have to be halted, leaving just the terrace. “The bodies awaiting their turn just keep lying in the lanes.”

Santosh Pandey, 45, who runs a tea shop and lives close to the cremation building, says that when cremations are carried out on the first floor, “ash regularly enters our houses”. “We can’t leave our doors or windows open.”

Dhruv Singh, History Professor at Banaras Hindu University, says that change is inevitable in an expanding city, including Varanasi, which “offers only limited scope within its historic core” and that any criticism of development should be “contextual”. However, he adds, “Preserving history and culture is equally important… It is not separate from development; they must go hand in hand.”