Life and death in Varanasi
In the western world death is largely a mystery; people rarely talk of their death. But in Varanasi, one of the oldest and most spiritual living cities in world, death is deeply ingrained in everyday life. The Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi, their soul will be transported to heaven and are freed from the endless cycle of birth and death, avoiding returning to Earth as a cow or a frog in your next life. In a culture that believes in reincarnation, this concept called “moksha” is profound.
Varanasi is built along the Ganges River – the most sacred River in India. It swings in a wide bend where large cement buildings glide straight up at its banks. Spanning the riverside is a series of vast steps known as “ghats” – places for bathing, laundry and transportation. These ghats are the epicenter of the spirituality that charges this city, helping this crazy city transcend to one that embodies divinity. There are around 80 ghats leading down to the Gange, all have different history surrounding them and two of them are burning ghats where the cremations take place. Harishchandra, the smaller of the two, is open for cremation of all castes and religions. The larger, Manikarnika, is reserved for Hindus.
The funeral pyres burn nonstop, day and night 365 days a year. All who work in helping cremate bodies are of a Dom (the untouchables) cast and it is their destiny and duty to do so for centuries. The Doms are keepers of the sacred fire, which is never allowed to die down. These eternal flame believed to have emanated from Lord Shiva himself, the patron deity of Varanasi. It is said that their work is so terrible, that when a new child is born into their caste, they weep, and when a Dom dies, they celebrate.
People come from all over to pray, collect sacred water and bathe. They pay much money and take much effort to bring their loved ones to the holy river, to give them the most sacred of farewells. Some even come to die. Surrounding the cremation grounds are many hospices, where the suffering and elderly arrive from all India leaving their families to just die here.
In Varanasi, death is an inseparable shadow of life. Stiff corpses wrapped in golden fabric blazing on riverside funeral pyres are a common sight. Life and death exist side by side, played out on the ghats alongside India’s most holy river. Life does not stop here, like the river it flows. Not even death can make it stop. Like the Ganges it takes along everything that comes its way.
Life and death in Varanasi
In the western world death is largely a mystery; people rarely talk of their death. But in Varanasi, one of the oldest and most spiritual living cities in world, death is deeply ingrained in everyday life. The Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi, their soul will be transported to heaven and are freed from the endless cycle of birth and death, avoiding returning to Earth as a cow or a frog in your next life. In a culture that believes in reincarnation, this concept called “moksha” is profound.
Varanasi is built along the Ganges River – the most sacred River in India. It swings in a wide bend where large cement buildings glide straight up at its banks. Spanning the riverside is a series of vast steps known as “ghats” – places for bathing, laundry and transportation. These ghats are the epicenter of the spirituality that charges this city, helping this crazy city transcend to one that embodies divinity. There are around 80 ghats leading down to the Gange, all have different history surrounding them and two of them are burning ghats where the cremations take place. Harishchandra, the smaller of the two, is open for cremation of all castes and religions. The larger, Manikarnika, is reserved for Hindus.
The funeral pyres burn nonstop, day and night 365 days a year. All who work in helping cremate bodies are of a Dom (the untouchables) cast and it is their destiny and duty to do so for centuries. The Doms are keepers of the sacred fire, which is never allowed to die down. These eternal flame believed to have emanated from Lord Shiva himself, the patron deity of Varanasi. It is said that their work is so terrible, that when a new child is born into their caste, they weep, and when a Dom dies, they celebrate.
People come from all over to pray, collect sacred water and bathe. They pay much money and take much effort to bring their loved ones to the holy river, to give them the most sacred of farewells. Some even come to die. Surrounding the cremation grounds are many hospices, where the suffering and elderly arrive from all India leaving their families to just die here.
In Varanasi, death is an inseparable shadow of life. Stiff corpses wrapped in golden fabric blazing on riverside funeral pyres are a common sight. Life and death exist side by side, played out on the ghats alongside India’s most holy river. Life does not stop here, like the river it flows. Not even death can make it stop. Like the Ganges it takes along everything that comes its way.
