Manikarnika Snan 2025: Date, Rituals, and the Secret to Attaining Moksha

Varanasi, the ancient city of Kashi, is known globally as the spiritual capital of India—a place where life and death coexist with an overwhelming sense of divinity. Central to its spiritual landscape is the Manikarnika Ghat, often referred to as the Mahashmashana, or the Great Cremation Ground. Every year, on the auspicious occasion of Vaikuntha Chaturdashi (Kartik Shukla Chaturdashi), this sacred ghat becomes the focal point of a profound spiritual exercise: the Manikarnika Snan. This ritual bath is not just an act of purification; it is a revered, once-a-year opportunity for devotees to cleanse their sins and secure the ultimate goal of Hinduism: Moksha, or liberation from the cycle of rebirth.

The Manikarnika Snan is intrinsically linked to the Vaikuntha Chaturdashi tithi, the day that celebrates the sacred union of Lord Vishnu (Hari) and Lord Shiva (Hara). In 2025, this powerful alignment brings a uniquely propitious time for the ritual:

The most potent time for the purifying dip is during the pre-dawn hours, known as the Brahma Muhurta. This spiritual window allows the soul to absorb maximum divine energy before the sun rises, making the snan (bath) particularly effective in washing away karmic debts. Devotees unable to travel to Kashi can replicate this sacred bath by adding a few drops of holy Ganga Jal (Ganga water) to their bathwater at home and observing the Tithi with utmost devotion.

The name ‘Manikarnika’ itself is steeped in mythology, deriving from Mani (jewel) and Karnika (earring). There are two primary legends that attest to the ghat’s unparalleled sanctity: Firstly, the Puranas relate that when Goddess Sati sacrificed herself and Lord Shiva carried her body across the universe in sorrow, her manikarna (ear ornament) fell precisely at this spot in Kashi, establishing it as one of the 51 revered Shakti Peethas. Secondly, the event directly connected to the Snan is the divine rendezvous of Hari and Har. Legend holds that on Vaikuntha Chaturdashi, Lord Vishnu came to Kashi to worship Lord Shiva. He is said to have dug a kund (a small pond or well) with his Sudarshana Chakra and performed severe penance. While resting, a jewel from his or Lord Shiva’s earring (depending on the version) fell into the water, giving the ghat its immortal name. Pleased with Vishnu’s devotion, Lord Shiva granted the boon that anyone who takes a dip at this ghat on this specific day would achieve immediate Moksha. This dual connection—to the eternal feminine power (Shakti) and the unity of Vishnu and Shiva (Hari-Har)—makes the site a convergence point of supreme spiritual power.

Manikarnika Ghat is famously called the Mokshadayini Ghat (the giver of liberation). The secret to the moksha it promises is rooted not just in the geographical location, but in the spiritual attitude it fosters. The cremation pyres here have been burning continuously for millennia, an eternal flame (Akhand Agni) that symbolises the unwavering truth of life’s impermanence. For those who perform the Snan with true faith, the act is a profound confrontation with mortality. It is a moment of total surrender to the divine will, where the ego is shed in the face of the ultimate reality. The belief that Lord Shiva himself whispers the Taraka Mantra into the ear of every soul that dies here ensures liberation, but for the living, the Manikarnika Snan is the opportunity to receive that grace while still alive. The ritual bath, coupled with the commitment to selfless devotion and the abandonment of worldly attachments, prepares the soul for its final emancipation. It is a powerful reminder that the path to liberation lies in confronting the cycle of birth and death, embracing the truth of existence, and seeking the unified blessings of the divine.