A palanquin in clouds of pink gulal on Rangbhari Ekadashi in Varanasi

Guides to Kashi

Masan Holi 2027 Varanasi: date 19 March, Masane ki Holi, rulesमसान होली 2027 कब है: 19 मार्च, मणिकर्णिका, वाराणसी

Upcoming: 19 March 2027

By Kashidwar · Updated 7 November 2026

Masan HoliFriday 19 March 2027 (day after Rangbhari Ekadashi)
Rangbhari EkadashiThursday 18 March 2027, Kashi Vishwanath
HoliHolika Dahan Sun 21 Mar; colours Mon 22 Mar (central govt holiday Tue 23 Mar)
WhereManikarnika Ghat; also Harishchandra Ghat
TimeFrom about noon for an hour in 2025; 2027 time not yet announced
RulesCurbs in 2026; 2027 order not yet issued · no photos of pyres

Masane ki Holi, the Holi played with pyre ash on Kashi's cremation ghats, falls on Friday 19 March 2027, the day after Rangbhari Ekadashi. On the Ekadashi, Thursday 18 March, the city's Holi begins with gulal at the Kashi Vishwanath Dham; the next day sadhus and devotees play with ash at Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats while cremations go on. This guide covers the 2027 dates and how they are worked out, what happens, the recent curbs and the debate over the custom, how to behave at a cremation ground, and how to get there. Official arrangements for 2027 have not been announced yet.

Masan Holi 2027 date: Friday 19 March

Masan Holi follows the lunar calendar, not a fixed date. Rangbhari Ekadashi is Phalguna Shukla Ekadashi, also called Amalaki Ekadashi, and Masan Holi is played the day after it. For Varanasi, Drik Panchang puts Amalaki Ekadashi on Thursday 18 March 2027 (the tithi runs from 4:21 AM on 18 March to 1:51 AM on 19 March), so Masane ki Holi falls on Friday 19 March 2027.

Rangbhari Ekadashi: Thursday 18 March 2027, Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Masan Holi (Masane ki Holi): Friday 19 March 2027, Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats
Holika Dahan: Sunday 21 March 2027, 6:21–8:32 PM (Drik Panchang, Varanasi)
Holi, the day of colours: Monday 22 March 2027 (Drik Panchang, Varanasi); the central government holiday is Tuesday 23 March

The same rule held in recent years. In 2025 Masan Holi at Manikarnika was on 11 March, the day after Rangbhari Ekadashi, and in 2026 Rangbhari Ekadashi was on 27 February and Masan Holi on 28 February. The organisers and the police have not yet announced timings or arrangements for 2027.

Sources: [1] · [8] · [10] · [11] · [2] · [3]

What happens: Rangbhari Ekadashi and Masan Holi

'Holi in Kashi begins on Rangbhari Ekadashi,' says the chief executive officer of the Shri Kashi Vishwanath temple. The day is celebrated as Gauri's gauna: after their wedding on Mahashivratri, Shiva brings Parvati home to the Dham. By custom the rites begin at the former mahant's house at Tedhi Neem, where the palki is worshipped, and the movable (chal) images of Vishwanath, Parvati and Ganesh are taken out in a palki procession. Devotees put gulal on Baba Vishwanath's forehead and offer abir at Parvati's feet, asking leave to start playing Holi. In 2026 the midday bhog aarti drew a large crowd; in the evening the chal images were placed in the sanctum before the Saptarishi aarti, children from Braj played Holi with flowers on the Shivarchan Manch, and the programme ran until about 10 pm. The 2027 programme has not been announced.

The next day, Holi is played with ash from the pyres (chita bhasma) at Manikarnika and at Harishchandra Ghat, Kashi's two cremation grounds. In 2025 the Manikarnika event followed an aarti of Baba Mahashmashan Nath and lasted about an hour from noon: Naga sadhus danced with tridents and swords, and devotees, among them foreign tourists, were covered in ash and gulal. The organisers say preparations start about six months ahead, with two to three sacks of ash collected from the cremation ground every day. At Harishchandra Ghat in 2025, PTI photographed a procession before the ash Holi and sadhus gathering ash from a burnt pyre.

The belief behind it, as reported by PTI: on Rangbhari Ekadashi Shiva brings Parvati to Kashi, and the next day he plays Holi with pyre ash at the Mahashmashan, the great cremation ground, so that his ghosts and spirits can share in it.

Sources: [6] · [7] · [8] · [9] · [10]

Is Masan Holi allowed in 2027? Curbs and the debate

Not officially confirmed — check before you travel

No order on Masan Holi 2027 had been issued when we checked on 7 November 2026, so check the police and district administration's notices in the days before 19 March. Recent years give an idea of what to expect. In 2025 the organiser, Gulshan Kapoor, said the Mahashmashan Nath temple committee had asked women not to attend because of the large crowd and the risk of chaos. In 2026 the ash Holi at Manikarnika was held under curbs, and Hindustan Times reported on 28 February that devotees played on the ghat despite them.

The custom itself is disputed. In February 2026 the Kashi Vidvat Parishad, a council of Sanskrit scholars, opposed it; its member Vinay Pandey said a cremation ground 'is not a place for festivities' and that the practice does not follow the scriptures. Ajay Sharma, state president of the Sanatan Rakshak Dal, demanded that it be stopped, said it began only around 2014, and alleged intoxication and unruly behaviour. In 2025 the Parishad's general secretary, Ramnarayan Dwivedi, said there is no scriptural evidence for householders playing Holi at a cremation ground. The organiser, Gulshan Kapoor, replies that religious texts mention Holi with funeral ash, that the custom declined under Mughal rule and was later revived, and that some critics are motivated by money.

Sources: [8] · [13] · [12]

Etiquette at a cremation ground

Manikarnika is a working cremation ground, open around the clock, and funerals do not stop for the festival: families are there to grieve. Guides to visiting the ghat respectfully ask for the following, and it applies on Masan Holi too:

Do not photograph or film cremations or mourners. Wikivoyage advises staying quiet and not taking photographs at Manikarnika, and you may be confronted or asked to delete the footage.
Keep your distance from the pyres, and do not block the paths of families or the men carrying wood.
Wear modest clothes that cover shoulders and legs, and avoid bright, eye-catching colours. No loud talk, phone calls, eating or smoking near the pyres.
Decline offers of 'special access' or a paid view. Requests for wood donations are optional; do not let anyone pressure you into large sums.
If the crowd becomes too dense to keep your distance, leave rather than push closer.

Sources: [16] · [14] · [15]

Crowds, timing and how to get to Manikarnika

Plan for two different days. On Thursday 18 March the crowd is at Kashi Vishwanath: in 2026 the midday bhog aarti drew a large crowd, and the programme went on until about 10 pm. On Friday 19 March the ash Holi at Manikarnika began around noon in 2025 and lasted about an hour, so be in the area by late morning if you want to watch. PTI describes it as drawing thousands of people from across the world, and the steps and lanes around the ghat are narrow.

Vehicles cannot reach the ghat. Autos and cabs stop at Godowlia, or at the edge of the restricted zone, and on big days the Maidagin–Godowlia road has been declared a no-vehicle zone, as it was for Magh Mela in January 2026. From Godowlia, walk down to Dashashwamedh Ghat and then north along the riverfront: Manikarnika lies north of Dashashwamedh, and on the way you pass the riverside entrance of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham, which opens onto the ghat between Lalita and Manikarnika. Walking is the only way along the waterfront, and many lanes are too narrow for any vehicle.

Harishchandra Ghat is on the southern stretch of the riverfront, between Assi and Dashashwamedh ghats. Redevelopment work was under way at Manikarnika in 2026 and no completion date has been announced, so the steps and the approach may look different in March 2027.

Sources: [6] · [8] · [20] · [15] · [17] · [19] · [18] · [21]

Holi 2027 in Varanasi: Holika Dahan 21 March, colours 22 March

Not officially confirmed — check before you travel

In Kashi, Holi begins on Rangbhari Ekadashi and, as India TV put it in 2025, is celebrated for six days from it. Holika Dahan is performed on the evening of Phalguna Purnima, outside the Bhadra period, and colours are played the next day. For Varanasi, Drik Panchang puts Holika Dahan on Sunday 21 March 2027, with the muhurta from 6:21 PM to 8:32 PM (Purnima runs from 6:21 PM on 21 March to 4:13 PM on 22 March), and Rangwali Holi on Monday 22 March.

The central government's 2027 holiday list (DoPT) dates Holi to Tuesday 23 March and lists Holika Dahan as a restricted holiday on Monday 22 March. Uttar Pradesh's 2027 holiday list had not been published when we checked, and no Kashi-specific ruling on the date has been reported, so plan around Drik Panchang's 22 March for now and confirm in early March.

For Holi 2026, police deployed about 6,000 personnel, 12 IPS officers and 35 senior officials across the city, used drones and sent mounted police into the narrow lanes. Boat operations on the Ganga were restricted during Holi and resumed afterwards until 8 pm. The arrangements for 2027 have not been announced.

Sources: [10] · [6] · [2] · [3] · [4] · [5] · [22]

Frequently asked questions

Masan Holi 2027 kab hai? When is Masane ki Holi in 2027?

On Friday 19 March 2027, the day after Rangbhari Ekadashi (Thursday 18 March). The date follows the lunar calendar: Masan Holi is played the day after Phalguna Shukla Ekadashi.

When is Rangbhari Ekadashi 2027?

Thursday 18 March 2027. For Varanasi, Drik Panchang gives the Ekadashi tithi from 4:21 AM on 18 March to 1:51 AM on 19 March.

When is Holi 2027 in Varanasi?

Drik Panchang (Varanasi) puts Holika Dahan on Sunday 21 March, 6:21–8:32 PM, and the day of colours on Monday 22 March. The central government's holiday list has Holi on Tuesday 23 March. Uttar Pradesh's 2027 list was not out yet when we checked.

Where is Masan Holi played, and at what time?

At Manikarnika Ghat, and also at Harishchandra Ghat, Kashi's two cremation grounds. In 2025 the Manikarnika event began around noon after an aarti of Baba Mahashmashan Nath and lasted about an hour. Timings for 2027 have not been announced.

Can tourists attend Masan Holi?

There is no ticket, and PTI reported foreign tourists among the crowd in 2025. But it takes place at a working cremation ground, the crowd is dense, and access depends on that year's arrangements: in 2025 the temple committee asked women not to attend, and in 2026 the event was held under curbs. Watch quietly from the edge and do not film the pyres.

Is Masan Holi allowed in 2027?

No order for 2027 had been issued as of 7 November 2026. In 2026 the ash Holi at Manikarnika was held under curbs, and Hindustan Times reported that devotees played despite them. The Kashi Vidvat Parishad opposes the custom as unscriptural. Check the police and district administration's notices in the days before 19 March.

Why is Masan Holi played with ashes?

By belief, on Rangbhari Ekadashi Shiva brings Parvati home to Kashi, and the next day he plays Holi with pyre ash at the Mahashmashan so that his ghosts and spirits can join in. The organisers say Holi with funeral ash is mentioned in religious texts; the Kashi Vidvat Parishad says it has no scriptural basis and is recent.

Can I take photos at Masan Holi?

Do not photograph or film the pyres or grieving families. Guides to visiting Manikarnika ask visitors to stay quiet and not take pictures of cremations, and anyone who does may be confronted or asked to delete the footage.