The day after Rangbhari Ekadashi, a few days before Holi itself, Holi is played at Manikarnika and Harishchandra — the cremation ghats — with the ash of the pyres in place of colour. The logic is Varanasi's own: Shiva, having brought Parvati home to Kashi, plays with his attendants, and in this city those attendants keep company with the dead.
Its meaning is a reflection on impermanence: the ash is a reminder of how every life ends, and the play is a way of meeting that without fear. It is intense and crowded, with sadhus at the centre of a procession dedicated to Shiva as lord of the cremation ground.
It is confronting, and it is not staged for visitors. Cremations continue while it happens. If you go, go quietly, do not photograph the pyres or the mourners, and follow whatever a local asks of you. It is not suited to young children. Many visitors find it the most affecting thing they see in Varanasi; some find it too much, and watching from a little distance is entirely acceptable.
