Kashi Labh Mukti Bhawan, Varanasi
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In the city of Kashi for 'Moksha'
Isha Banerjee PTI 02 Jun 2014
Varanasi: In the labyrinthine lanes of Kashi, which is believed to be “older than history, older than tradition and older even than legend,” stands a structure at the corner of its busiest crossing, where rooms are reserved for death.
The two-storied hospice ‘Kashi Labh Mukti Bhawan’ hosts the elderly who wish to spend their last days in the search for spiritual liberation.
Shanti Devi, 85, lies wrapped in bed sheet in one of the 10 rooms of the temple-cum-building. Her corner room, lit with incense sticks, is next to a small temple inside the premises, which is most active at the time of dusk and dawn.
Devi, who travelled all the way from Newada in Bihar, mostly chants mantras near her room’s window. A priest, one appointed for every patient, comes regularly in her room to check in on her.
Barely able to speak with her tooth-less mouth, Devi says, “I become restless with the passing of every hour. My family is here who are helping me gain moksha and I do not want to disappoint them. I know Kashi will take me inside her peacefully.”
Established by the Dalmiya Charitable Trust in 1958, the Bhawan does not charge anything from the people who come here for a purpose.
The trust bears all the expenses from the stay in the house, to all the rituals of the day, to the cremation after “the soul leaves the body.”
“This is a holy place, and charging money means we are into a business. We do not want to be labelled that way. Our Trust bears all the expenses from food to rituals because we believe in providing spiritual satisfaction,” says 60-year-old Bhairava Nath Shukla, says the Bhawan’s manager.
“Not only India, but devotees from England, Japan and Mauritius have spent time in our shelter to understand the concept of Moksha, life and death,” adds Shukla.
Varanasi is famously known for being the ‘religious capital of India’ where thousands come for various spiritual purposes.
Some come for the last rites, some to conduct their newborn’s’ birth ceremony and some, to die peacefully.
Mukti Bhavans
June 20, 2019: The Times of India
More berths now in Kashi for escape from the cycle of birth and rebirth
Rajeev.Dikshit@timesgroup.com
Varanasi: It is believed that death in Kashi means liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth. For centuries, the sacred city’s labyrinthine lanes have beckoned devouts in their last days or, in several cases, their last years. But only a few are able to find space in ‘moksha centres’ or hospices where rooms are “reserved for death”.
With dozens of applications daily in the handful of moksha bhavans, the wait list can run into several years.
Chief executive officer of Kashi Vishwanath Temple Vishal Singh told TOI that while one of the existing moksha centres in Kashi only allows couples, the other is for those on their deathbed.
The 40-room Mumukshu Bhavan has a waiting list of 50 for the past 5 yrs
Not everyone gets Mukti Bhavan berth due to high demand
M B Shastri, an 80-year-old retired physics professor from Hyderabad, who has been staying with his wife at Mumukshu Bhavan in Assi area for the past 15 years, received the news with joy. “Kashi is the source of eternal light and those who die here attain moksha, according to our shastras. This comes as a boon for salvation seekers.”
But high demand for accommodation at these bhavans means not everyone gets a berth. Vinod Kumar Agrawal, manager at the 40-room Mumukshu Bhavan, which was established in 1920 by Kashi Mumukshu Bhavan Sabha, said at least 50 people have been on the waiting list for the past five years.
Each year hundreds of people stream into Varanasi to breathe their last. An additional “mukti bhavan” will go a long way in helping them, said ashram officials at the other two bhavans.
Spread over four acres, Mumukshu Bhavan has a Sanskrit school, meditation enclaves and a charitable hospital. Four km away is the Kashilabh Mukti Bhavan in Mishirpokharawhere only those in their deathbed get lodging. “If someone shows improvement in health, they are told to leave after a week,” said Anurag Shukla, manager of Kashilabh Mukti Bhavan.
Moksha centres run on donations and with their nominal charges are viable options for those seeking long-term stay. For instance, couples at Mumukshu Bhavan only pay Rs 100 plus electricity bill per month. Staying at Kashilabh Mukti Bhavan is free.
Senior priest of Kashi Vishwanath temple Amarnath Upadhyaya said, “Kashivas or living in Kashi includes four elements — stay here, be in the company of scholars, consume Gangajal and worship Lord Shiva. Those who adhere to all four are liberated from the cycle of birth and rebirth by the blessings of Lord Tarkeshwara, one of the forms of Lord Vishwanath.”
