Flood halts cremations at Manikarnika Ghat

The famous Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi, where the dead are cremated round the clock, has been flooded with the rising waters of the river Ganga. The pyres are now being lit in the narrow bylanes near the Ghat.

The Manikarnika Ghat is one of the oldest ghats in Varanasi, and it is believed that the fire never goes out on the ghat. It is the only place where cremation takes place round the clock. Hindus normally do not cremate the dead after sunset, but the Manikarnika Ghat has been an exception.

A priest, Acharya Mukund Tiwari, said that the fires going out at the ghat were not a good omen for the holy city.

“There have been floods in the past too, but the Manikarnika Ghat has never been flooded. People come here from near and far to cremate the dead,” he said.

The rising water of the Ganga has also submerged the Harishchandra Ghat, forcing the closure of the electric crematorium located here.

The flood situation in many localities of Varanasi continues to be grim and the district administration has opened five relief camps in Saraiyan, Dhelwaria and Nagwan and 36 flood posts.

District magistrate Vijay Karan Anand led a team of officials on Saturday morning to take stock of the flood situation in many parts of the district.