Varanasi, or say Kashi, is a city where death invites liberation but liberation. It is said that the one who dies here attains salvation. But the person who stands on the final ladder of this salvation journey is not a saint or a sage, but Dom Raja Is – a name which is also the concierge of the door of death and the patron of the fire of salvation.
Dom Raja is the main Dome caste of Varanasi, but its identity is not just caste, but spiritual and cultural. This is the person whose body merges into the five elements after getting fire, and the soul moves towards salvation.
The tradition of Dom Raja has been going on for generations. His family is the patron of the “holy fire” located at Manikarnika Ghat, who has been burning for centuries without stopping. This fire is the means from which the funeral is possible.
The presence of Dom Raja in the streets of Kashi is surrounded by a mysterious aura. On the one hand, people consider him a liberation giver, on the other hand, they are also afraid of their power. It is said that getting entangled with Dom Raja is considered inauspicious, because it is directly to the mystery of death.
The image of Dom Raja was not limited to the crematorium only. His influence extends to politics and cinema.
During the Social Justice Movement in the 1990s Dom Raja The name was proposed to the presidency. In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also honored him from Varanasi as a BJP candidate. It is clear that his religious power has now become politically valid.
Many documents and films have been produced on DOM Raja. Foreign writers and journalists show him mysterious and ‘Mystic Figure’. His presence is also depicted in international projects like “Mukti Marg” and “The Burning Ghats”.
According to folklity, when Lord Shiva declared Kashi as death, he entrusted the Dome caste to create the cremation of the dead. And for this task, the head of the Dome caste was given the title of “Raja”. This is why even today the head of the Dome caste Dom Raja It is said.
This is a tradition that is also adamant from the slap of time. This title has no political power nor physical splendor, but it has a spiritual right to death.
Even today, the power of the Dome king is as strong as the Manikarnika Ghat as it was centuries ago. His place remains the same in the era of caste system and social reforms.
Kashi, where people are not afraid of death but towards salvation, there Dom Raja He is the link that connects death and salvation. Without them, Kashi is incomplete, and salvation is incomplete. He is neither a priest, nor a king, but his power is what no one can bow nor erase.
Dom Raja Even today, the flag bearer of the tradition, where death is a celebration, and liberation is a purpose. And this makes him the most powerful but mysterious face of Kashi.