Varanasi: The Burning Ghats

"People say to me, Varanasi is another planet."
                                                 --Waiter at a restaurant in Varanasi

He's got a point there. Having just spent a few days in The City of Lights, I would definitely agree that it feels like another planet.

Varanasi is built on the banks of the Ganga (Ganges) river. Both the river and the city are considered sacred by Hindus. It is the goal of every Hindu to visit Varanasi at least once in their lifetime. The most distinguishing feature of the city is its ghats - tall stone steps that lead down to the river (at left). They are the hub of religious and social activity. Thousands of pilgrims visit the city each day, to bathe in the river, to make offerings to the gods, and to bask in the divine light that is said to come from the many temples that line the river -- hence its name, The City of Lights.

The 100 or so ghats run for some four miles along the river. Different sections of the ghats are designated for different activities- some for bathing, others for laundry, others for washing cattle, although many are used for multiple activities. Perhaps the most extraordinary activity that takes place along the ghats is the public cremation of bodies.

One morning, I am walking along the ghats, taking pictures of women hanging laundry out to dry (at right), when directly beyond the laundry I come across a small bonfire. It takes me a second to realize that there is a charred body lying in the fire. I quickly slip my camera into my bag; photographs of the funeral pyres are not allowed, and in addition to not wanting to be disrespectful, I don't want my camera thrown into the Ganges, which rumor has it has happened to tourists who tried to take close-ups of the bodies! (The pictures shown here were taken from a distance that, according to my boat guide, it is permissible to photograph).

There are numerous such funeral pyres along the ghats. The one above was a small one, with only one or two pyres going at any one time. The one on the left is the main burning ghat, where a dozen or so cremations happen at any time. Bodies are burned non-stop, all day and all night, several hundred each day. Each one is wrapped in a white muslim cloth and placed in its own stack of wood. It takes 2-3 hours for the body to be reduced to ashes. Relatives (males only) watch the process. Hindus believe that if you die in Varanasi, you are guaranteed release from the birth and rebirth cycle. Being cremated in Varanasi is considered a desirable thing.

Some bodies--those of children, holy men, pregnant women, and lepers -- are not permitted to be burned. These bodies are thrown directly into the river. I watched as a body wrapped in a traditional gold cloth, decorated with yellow and gold marigold garlands, was brought out, placed on one end of a small paddle boat, and taken out about half way across the river. A heavy flat rock was attached to it, and then it was lowered into the water. Some 60,000 bodies are disposed of in this way every year.

I know that some of my blog readers will have "switched the channel" at this point, and ya'll probably think I'm just into morbid things like body piercings and death. But honestly, once you get past the initial startle reflex, the whole thing really does not feel ghoulish at all. It feels like a very natural, very respectful ritual. Watching it is in some ways calming, the way staring into a fire often is. Squeamishness about dead bodies must be a very Western thing -- in Varanasi, while bodies burn, children frolic, goats munch on flower garlands discarded from corpses, and men and women brush their teeth, bathe, and generally go about their lives.

Maybe it's the Aries fire sign in me, but personally, I'd much rather be consumed by fire than by maggots six feet under!

Comments

[shannon clubb]

Don't worry, I was not shocked- that is really interesting! I wa thinking of the fishermen in the village - what they might snag on!

[DonnaK]

India has now really gotten under your skin. I understand the theory but personally I don't want to go up in smoke. No way!

[Shalini]

I have said this before and once again your blog entries connect me to things I already know but never seek out and experience. Thanks for the "e-walk" thru the "land of death".

As usual your tone is as nonchalant as ever. I can picture you negotiating the ghats and the funeral pyres with more ease than most of us Indians can!!!

[Basia]

Hi Shalini! Glad to see you are still keeping up with the blog. Looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks-

[Dilip]

I did switched the channel, after seeing this I would never like to visit Varnasi... Yes it is another planet...

[Gyana]

Hi! I am an ex-resident of the city. anything, even morbid, about it takes me back on the memory lane. liked to read and see the photographs

[Basia]

Hi Gyana, welcome to the blog. Glad to hear you are enjoying it-

[Andrzey]

I liked Varanasi very much. It is not only the holy river. There is a big, ancient city with its wonderful inhabitants. I have spent there 3 days, but I wanted much more... Basiu, dziękuję raz jeszcze. Dotykałem kamieni wśród wąskich uliczek Varanasi wiosną 2002. Kiedy tam wrócę? Wydaje się, że nieprędko. Będę czytał Twoje refleksje :-)

[umit alper tumen]

Hi, everbody; does anybody know about the burning rules. I mean, as I know the colour of cover which is covered to the dead body is has a mean. Example; white colour means, old man, red colour mean, women etc.

Please help me,

Thanking advance for your kind cooperation.

[Basia]

Umit: Sorry, I don't have any more information about the burning rules.

[Vijay]

The only color used to wrap a body is white. It is wrapped tightly around the body before it is taken for cremation. Most people in my state - Tamil Nadu, do not generally do the "wrapping".

[Jonathan]

Michael Wood has video footage of the burning ghats in his documentary "The Story of India". How did he get around the no camera rule? I asked him personally on Facebook but have not received any reply.

[Basia]

Jonathan: Perhaps he paid for it? I have no doubt that in India, you can buy your way into and out of just about anything.

[Jonathan]

Paid whom? If he paid the government that's one thing, but that doesn't mean it's still correct according to the priests of the ghats.