What is the hidden secret behind the '94' scribbled across Manikarnika in Varanasi?

A unique Indian tradition, the famous 94 ritual in Varanasi, has piqued people's interest on social media and those visiting the city's ghats. After the cremation at Manikarnika Ghat, the oldest and most sacred burning ghat in India, a few families or priests mark "94" on the ashes of the dead in Varanasi. Marking 94 on ashes, according to locals, represents 94 out of 100 human acts, which are in one's possession, while the remaining six are left to God's decision.

Manikarnika Ghat ritual reflects Varanasi's enduring spiritual heritage

While Varanasi's death rituals have always had deep spiritual symbolism, the 94 ritual in Varanasi melds faith, folklore, and cultural identity in a singularly unique way. The practice largely pertains to the ghats of Kashi and is believed to reaffirm the city's status as the eternal gateway to moksha, or salvation according to Hindu belief.

According to people who know the rituals at Manikarnika Ghat, the act of writing ‘94’ is symbolic to represent surrender; a gesture of offering those mortal actions to Shiva for emancipation from the cycle of birth and death. This belief, however, is rooted in oral tradition rather than any specific Hindu scripture. Priests at the ghat describe it as a locally evolved practice, handed down through generations of cremation caretakers, known as Doms.

However, scholars and cultural researchers indicate that this ritual finds no direct reference in classical Hindu scriptures on cremation rites, such as the Garuda Purana or Vishnu Smriti. Rather, it seems to have evolved as a local spiritual practice that encapsulates the unique blend of mythology, devotion, and lived tradition that characterizes Varanasi. The persistence of the 94 mark on ashes underlines the fact that oral storytelling and ritual innovation continue to shape the city's cultural landscape.

Even as experts explain that the ritual does not find any scriptural citation, its emotional resonance keeps visitors in thrall. Varanasi, therefore, sees the ashes of the dead, numbered 94, turning out to be more than ashes: symbols of faith and continuity and of the eternal human striving for post-mortem peace. In Varanasi, where every flame has a story to tell, even a number will bridge the gap between mortality and the divine.

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