The Origin of Manikarnika through Vishnu

There are many versions of this story, but all pilgrims on the PanchaTirtha know some version of it.

 

In the beginning there only darkness. There were no forms, no stars, no moon, or river. There was only the Pure Reality, Brahman. The One desire another and so he took the form of Shiva and created Shakti. They then created this world.

They created Kashi and it was bliss incarnate. It was so wonderful that they call it Avimukta, because they never leave it even at the time of dissolution (pralaya). Enjoying their creation greatly, they thought to themselves that it would be nice if there was someone else to create and maintain the world so that they could devote all of their time to the granting of liberation. So they created Vishnu and instructed him in the way of the Vedas.

He then set himself down to perform extreme tapas. He sat down and dug a deep lotus pool with his discus (cakra) and then filled it with the sweat of his own austerities. the pool was called Puskarini. He sat for 500,000 years before /iva noticed him one day.

Being extremely pleased with the rigor of his performance and struck by the radiance of his shining body, Shiva offered to grant a boon. However, Vishnu's only wish was to live eternally next to Shiva. Shiva was so struck by this that his jeweled-earring (Manikarnika) fell off into the pond. Shiva granted the wish and also said that this place would forever be known as Manikarnika.

Paraphrased from Eck p. 241-242.