What is the significance of Manikarnika Ghat for Asthi Visarjan?

Manikarnika Ghat is the most sacred cremation site in Varanasi. The Puranas associate it with Maa Sati’s ear ornament and with Lord Vishnu’s great yajna where Shiva promised eternal liberation to all who die there. The funeral pyres have burned continuously for over three thousand years. Asthi Visarjan at Manikarnika connects the ceremony to this ancient, unbroken tradition of liberation.