What is the Varanasi Death Hostel and why does it exist?

The Varanasi Death Hostel is the popular name for Kashi Mukti Bhawan, a charitable institution in Varanasi (Kashi) where terminally ill Hindu pilgrims come to spend their final days. It exists because Hindu scripture — particularly the Kashi Khanda of the Skanda Purana — teaches that dying within the city limits of Varanasi guarantees moksha (liberation from rebirth), because Lord Shiva whispers the Taraka Mantra in the ear of every soul that departs in Kashi. The institution was built in 1956 by the Dalmia charitable trust to make this theological privilege accessible to pilgrims from all over India.