Varanasi guide

Mumukshu Bhawan, Assi, Varanasi

Mumukshu Bhawan is a residence on Assi Road, near Assi Ghat, where elderly people come to spend their last years in Kashi. Hinduism Today reported in 2015 that it is run by the Kashi Mumukshu Bhawan Sabha, on the campus of the Sabha’s Sanskrit college and gurukulam. It is a home, not a tourist sight. Our team visited on the morning of 22 October 2026, after Subah-e-Banaras at Assi Ghat.

Mumukshu Bhawan at a glance

From dated press reports, read on 23 October 2026. We found no official website for the Bhawan.

What it is: a home where elderly people live out their last years in Kashi (Hinduism Today, 2015)
Established: 1920 (Al Jazeera 2013, Hinduism Today 2015, ETV Bharat 2019, Gaon Connection 2023)
Run by: the Kashi Mumukshu Bhawan Sabha (Hinduism Today, 2015)
Where: Assi Road, Assi, Varanasi 221005, as Google Maps names the place; near Assi Ghat
Campus: about five acres with 116 rooms, temples, a Sanskrit school and a centre for Vedic learning (Gaon Connection, 2023)
Visiting hours: we found none published; ask at the gate
From our hotel: about 1.6 km by road (about 7 minutes) or about 1.1 km on foot via Assi Road (about 15 minutes), Google Maps reading, 23 October 2026

The entrance gate of Mumukshu Bhawan near Assi Ghat, Varanasi — The gate of Mumukshu Bhawan on Assi Road (our photo, 22 October 2026)

Covered passage leading from the gate into the Mumukshu Bhawan campus near Assi, Varanasi — The covered passage inside the gate (our photo, 22 October 2026)

History of Mumukshu Bhawan

When it was established

Al Jazeera (2013), Hinduism Today (2015), ETV Bharat (2019) and Gaon Connection (2023) all give 1920 as the year it was established. Al Jazeera added that it is known locally as Moksha Bhawan, and the manager told ETV Bharat that the name stands for the desire for liberation.

Who founded it: sources differ

Gaon Connection (2023) reported that it was established with help from the Birla Group; ETV Bharat (2019) said it was built by a businessman, Ghanshyam Dutt. We have found no record that settles this, so we give both.

Who runs it today

Hinduism Today (2015) names the Kashi Mumukshu Bhawan Sabha as the body that runs it. In 2023 the Sabha’s general secretary told Gaon Connection that Tara Sansthan, a Mumbai charitable trust, finances it.

Life inside, as reported

As journalists described it on their visits; we have not checked these details, and they may have changed.

Who can stay: Gaon Connection (2023) reported that anyone over 60 can get a room; The Week (2017) described separate sections for Brahmins, travellers, students and those waiting for death.
Who lives there: Hinduism Today (2015) wrote that many residents are married couples whose children are unable to care for them.
Cost: reports differ. ETV Bharat (2019) and Gaon Connection (2023) said residents are not charged and may donate; The Week (2017) described a one-time donation that depended on the room. Ask the Sabha directly.
Meals and care: Hinduism Today (2015) mentioned free meals and ayurvedic and homeopathic dispensaries. Gaon Connection (2023) listed three meals, tea twice a day and milk at bedtime, and noted that the Bhawan does not pay for medicines.
Prayer and company: group bhajans and kirtans, and festivals such as Diwali and Holi celebrated together (Gaon Connection, 2023).
How long people stay: the manager told ETV Bharat in 2019 that residents usually stay five to seven years, and some for fifteen.

Yellow buildings and garden inside the Mumukshu Bhawan campus near Assi, Varanasi — Buildings and garden inside the campus (our photo, 22 October 2026)

A brick path between yellow buildings and trees inside the Mumukshu Bhawan campus, Varanasi — A brick path between the buildings (our photo, 22 October 2026)

The belief of dying in Kashi

This section describes a religious belief held by many Hindus. We present it as belief, not as a statement of fact.

Hinduism Today (2015) quotes the Sanskrit saying Kashyam maranam mukti, “death in Kashi is liberation”, which it attributes to the Skanda Purana. ETV Bharat (2019) wrote that, according to the Puranas, Kashi is the city of salvation.

Hinduism Today also describes the belief that Lord Shiva whispers the Taraka Mantra into the ear of each soul at Manikarnika Ghat. A scholar it quotes, Dr Ram Narain Dwivedi, said Kashi’s scholars concluded that dying here is not enough by itself, because liberation needs knowledge, which the Taraka Mantra is believed to give.

Reasons are not only spiritual. In Gaon Connection’s 2023 report, one resident said she would rather die here than in a house where elders are barely spoken to.

Not the same as Mukti Bhawan

Kashi Labh Mukti Bhawan, often called Mukti Bhawan, is a different institution: Hinduism Today (2015) placed it about half a kilometre from Manikarnika Ghat, and Gaon Connection (2023) about 3 to 4 km from Mumukshu Bhawan. Hinduism Today and The Week (2017) say it was set up in 1958 by Vishnu Hari Dalmia. Hinduism Today wrote that it is only for those expected to live no more than 15 days, whereas Mumukshu Bhawan residents may live there for years (ETV Bharat, 2019).

The Sanskrit college and gurukulam

Hinduism Today (2015) reported that the Bhawan stands on the campus of the Sabha’s Sanskrit college and gurukulam. Gaon Connection (2023) described a Sanskrit school where residents can learn the language, and a learning centre for the Vedas. We found no official page for the college’s courses or admissions; enquire with the Sabha in person.

Visiting respectfully

These are our own suggestions, not rules published by the Bhawan. We found no published visiting hours or visitor rules.

This is a home. Ask permission at the gate before walking in, and accept it if the answer is no.
Do not photograph residents without their consent. Our own photos show only the gate, buildings and paths.
Keep your voice low and your phone quiet; residents gather for group bhajans and kirtans (Gaon Connection, 2023).
If you wish to help, ask how the Sabha accepts donations.

How it fits a morning at Assi

Our team went to Mumukshu Bhawan on the morning of 22 October 2026, straight after Subah-e-Banaras, the dawn programme at Assi Ghat. Sunrise music and aarti on the ghat, perhaps a boat ride, then a short, quiet visit to the Bhawan makes an easy morning.

From our hotel, Assi Ghat is about 1.6 km on foot (Google Maps, 5 October 2026); the walk to Mumukshu Bhawan via Assi Road is shorter (see the distances above).

Staying nearby

Hotel Vinayak Plaza is on Sankat Mochan Road, about 270 m from Sankat Mochan Temple. See our hotel near Assi Ghat, our hotel near Sankat Mochan Temple and the full Varanasi guide.

Enquiries: +91 91992 67480. Phone calls are answered 24×7. Address: Sankat Mochan Rd, near Sankat Mochan Temple, Saket Nagar Colony, Sankata Mochan Leprosy, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221010.

Call +91 91992 67480

Questions about Mumukshu Bhawan

When was Mumukshu Bhawan established?

Reports from 2013 to 2023 all give 1920. Accounts of the founder differ (Birla Group in Gaon Connection, 2023; Ghanshyam Dutt in ETV Bharat, 2019).

Can visitors go inside?

We found no published visiting hours. Our suggestion: ask permission at the gate first, keep it short and quiet, and do not photograph residents without consent.

Is Mumukshu Bhawan the same as Mukti Bhawan?

No. Kashi Labh Mukti Bhawan is a separate hospice near Manikarnika Ghat, which Hinduism Today (2015) described as only for those expected to live no more than 15 days; Mumukshu Bhawan residents may live there for years.

How far is Mumukshu Bhawan from Sankat Mochan Road?

From Hotel Vinayak Plaza, about 1.6 km by road or about 1.1 km on foot (Google Maps, 23 October 2026).

मुमुक्षु भवन कहाँ है और यहाँ कौन रहता है?

मुमुक्षु भवन वाराणसी में अस्सी रोड पर, अस्सी घाट के पास है। समाचार रिपोर्टों के अनुसार इसकी स्थापना 1920 में हुई थी और यहाँ बुज़ुर्ग लोग अपने अंतिम वर्ष काशी में बिताने आते हैं। यह उनका घर है, इसलिए हमारा सुझाव है कि भीतर जाने से पहले गेट पर अनुमति लें और बिना सहमति किसी निवासी की फ़ोटो न लें। हमारे होटल से यह पैदल लगभग 1.1 किमी है (Google Maps, 23 अक्टूबर 2026)।

Sources and last checked

All read on 23 October 2026. We found no official website for Mumukshu Bhawan, so we rely on dated press reports. If something is out of date, please contact us.

Hinduism Today: To Die in Varanasi, July 2015
Gaon Connection: Waiting To Die In Kashi, by Dewesh Pandey, 25 July 2023
ETV Bharat: Kashi, the city of moksha, 25 March 2019
The Week: The final appointment, by Priyanka Bhadani, issue dated 24 December 2017
Al Jazeera: photo gallery on Varanasi’s homes for the dying, by Showkat Shafi, 5 December 2013
Distances and place name: Google Maps readings, 5 and 23 October 2026
Photos: our own, taken on the morning of 22 October 2026