Varanasi is considered the religious capital of India and the mecca for Hindus. This is where many Hindus come to die and where they want to be cremated, since those who believe in reincarnation believe that it will free them from the cycle of rebirth and lead to salvation. Imagine not having to return in the next life as a scorpion or a pet monkey. It may be worth the pilgrimage. Varanasi is also known as the City of Death, where about 100 people are cremated daily. The corpses are carried through the streets to the death ghats (cremation platforms) leading down to the holy Ganges River. The great cremation ground is known as Manikarnika Ghat and can be seen above throwing out the most smoke (top right).

Hindu cremation rituals are quite public and have become quite a touristy event, with people on charter boats wearing life jackets rowing past (top right) numerous and simultaneous burns. We did not hear chanting nor drums beating, nor gasps of shock and awe though, so it appears quite respectful. There are also long cues of dead bodies waiting for their turn to be cremated in several locations along the Ganges River (Top Left). The ritual includes taking bodies to the riverbank, blessed with holy water from the Ganges by a priest (bottom left). Once cremated, their ashes are released into the sacred Ganges River. Beforehand, families negotiate the amount of wood needed for 3-4 hours needed to turn a body into ash, and negotiate with a priest to bring the special fire from the temple to light the pyre. Boats with tourists go up and down the Ganges to witness these spectacles, as Varanasi is considered an extremely holy site. There is more relief than grief.

The Ganga Aarti is a devotional ceremony that takes place both night and morning and performed by priests every day. At dusk, thousands of people as well as hundreds of boats from canoes to party boats crowd around the ghats (platform) where 7 priests perform the traditional rituals. “Amid blowing of conch shells, the ringing of several bells, the clanging of brass cymbals and the chanting chorus of mantras, the priests venerate Ganga, the lifeline of Varanasi, with brass lamps that rise several tiers”. This ceremony offers fire to the gods and it is a spectacle not to be missed. See video below to get a flavor of the experience.

It is SO crowded on the river that the boatmen are accustomed to wedging themselves in for the show, and people are walking across boats to get closer to the performance or sell their wares or food. We saw a girl selling balloons, who would jump across several boats (bottom right). Another priest was offering blessings, marking clients with color on their foreheads, lit in candlelight as he traversed across several boats. Boatmen were constantly pushing other boats away from crashing into each other, yet even with hundreds of boats all jammed together, it all seemed so normal to be this crowded together.

Varanasi is the holiest city in India and one of the top seven cities for Hindu pilgrimages worldwide. People can be seen bathing along the holy Ganges River to wash away their sins. Approximately 81% of Indians are Hindu. The water in the Ganges River is reported to have 25 times more oxygen than any other in the world, and thus has purifying powers. For Hindus, they believe that life is incomplete until they have bathed in the Ganges at least once in their lifetime. The Ganges is ranked as the 5th most polluted river in the world. No, we did not step into the river.

Veranasi is also considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. After attending the sunrise ritual, we toured the market area. There were lots of activities, including family members hiring priests to perform blessings for their deceased, meditation, and private family ceremonies.