In this cremation ground, Holika Dahan is celebrated with ash from pyres, not colours, and death is celebration

Bhilwara, March 3 -- In the Panchmukhi Mokshadham at Bhilwara in Rajasthan, death is not mourning, but a celebration on Holika Dahan, one day before Holi.

In a ritual that blurs the line between life and afterlife, devotees gather at the cremation ground to play 'Chita Bhasma' Holi-smearing funeral ashes to make Lord Bhairav happy. The night of Holika Dahan on Monday in the textile city of Bhilwara witnessed this unique confluence of faith, tradition, and the Aghor sect.

On Holika Dahan, one day before Holi, the air in this Bhilwara cremation ground thickens with the ashes of the dead, thrown by devotees in a centuries-old homage to Lord Bhairav. For these worshippers, the cremation ground is the ultimate sanctuary, and the funeral ash th...