Top 6 Popular Places for Pind Daan in Varanasi

The post-death ceremonies or Pind Daan in Hinduism is a very spiritual aspect which takes place in the holy river of Ganga. Kashi or modern-day Varanasi is the ideal place where most of the Pind Daan practices take place. It is a popular belief that people have their last rite done in Varanasi attains salvation or moksha hence freeing themselves from the karmic cycle of birth and rebirth. No matter the place of death as long as the remains of the departed souls are immersed in Ganga river salvation will be achieved. Varanasi Ghats line the entire Ganga River which runs by this holy town and the Pind Daan rituals takes place on a daily basis here which has also been going on ever since the ancient ages.

Here are some Pind Daan locations in Varanasi to give your deceased loved one the send-off they deserve:

Vimal Teerth (Pishachmochan Talab)

This is probably one of the most important and significant Teeth places in Kashi and is also one of the biggest ones in Varanasi. The devotees come here to take a holy bath in the sacred pond here especially during the auspicious days. The name pishachi here means demon and its story goes back to the ancient ages which tells us how the pishachi residing here has attained Mukti in the Vimal Kund which later on became the Pishachmochan Kund and it is also fairly well maintained. People mainly visit this Kund for performing Pind Daan rites or Shradh ceremony rituals for the forefathers. A visit to this place is especially considered to be very sacred during the time of Magh months i.e. during the months of January and February as well as Shukla Chaturdashi.

Dashashwamedh Ghat

This is probably one of the holiest and the most sacred Ghats not only in Varanasi but also in India. The place is believed to be the Ghat where the holy sacrificial ritual of the horses took place which has earned its name. Every day the sadhus and devotees can be seen performing various religious activities here. The place is flocked by devotees especially during the evening aarti of the holy river Ganga. Devotees also flock here for the Pind Daan and shraadh ritual purposes since it is also one of the best Ghats in Varanasi to do so. It is located right next to the holy Manikarnika Ghat where the holy Vishwanath temple is situated and holds a lot of religious significance.

Manikarnika Ghat

This is the ever burning Ghat of Varanasi which is never put to rest since it is one of the holiest and the most sacred Ghats for performing Pind Daan, Asthi Visarjan and Shraadh rituals. This Ghat is the place where it is believed that in Hinduism when Satyug had began and there was no sign of Ganga river on earth, the Chakra pushkarni Tirtha was alive way before that. This chakra Pushkarni Tirtha has now been recognised to be Manikarnika Ghat and is reserved for people who has died in a peculiar manner or held a certain level of status in their life when they were alive.

Assi Ghat

According to the holy Hindu book of Kashi Khand the region of Varanasi is known as a Mukti Kshetra. The Ghat is said to have been built by the river of Assi which has found its mention in in the holy literature and is not almost in the form of a streamlet. Assi Ghat covers a very large area and allows you to have a complete and beautiful view of the surrounding which is also well maintained. Devotees visit this place with an aim of performing the religious Pancha Ghatta Pindam along with performing the soul stirring Ganga Aarti.

Gyan Vapi

As per the holy Hindu legends, a Digpal called Eeshan had visited Kashi along with his Trishul and then dug up a well in close proximity to the Gyan Vapi mosque which falls on the way to Vishwanath temple. The water from this well is said to be very pure and hold religious importance so this fact has made it a sacred destination for Pind Daan rituals and other such related practices which is said to attain purity for the departed souls. The place is a great place to spend some time reflecting about life and observing peace as a respect to the loved one.

Panchganga Ghat

The Panch Ganga Ghat pans over for a distance of around 3 kms across the western banks of the Ganga River and is beyond a doubt one of the most famous attractions here. The importance of this Ghat lies in the fact that it is named so since it translates into 5 Ganges and is situated where the 5 holy rivers of Ganga, Saraswati, Yamuna, Kiran and Dhutapapa merge. This Ghat is frequented primarily by devotees and people looking to perform the Pind Daan Darshan or Shraadh ritual for their deceased one.