Overwhelmed in Varanasi

Sue here WARNING:  Contains potentially distressing images and commentary about cremation in India. Please skip if you might find this distressing.

We finally arrived in Varanasi, apparently the oldest continuously inhabited city on earth - 4000 years. Mark Twain once said ‘Varanasi is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as as old as all of them put together.’ He’s right and its gone downhill since then. But, but this is an astonishing, vibrant, anthill of a city, with Queen River Ganges and her consort Manikarnika Ghat at it’s heart. If Delhi overloaded our senses, Varanasi abused them, the sights, sounds and smells are overwhelming and our first afternoon and evening here were simply unforgettable.

The Ganges is India’s most sacred river and Hindus believe that if you either die or are cremated here you escape the cycle of death and reincarnation and essentially end up in sort of a better place. It’s very popular to die or be cremated here and that makes it a very popular place to be. The old town is a maze of narrow streets shared with motorbikes, cows, bicycles and last on the pecking order, people, who are everywhere.

We started with a boat ride on the Ganges, which is perhaps not the cleanest of rivers

If you light a lamp and float it down the Ganges your wish is supposed to come true, we didn’t sink so they may be on to something

Some views from the river:

Next stop Manikarnika Ghat, essentially a series of steps leading down to the Ganges. This is where the cremations take place and where your comfort zone is nowhere to be seen. Our guide was great explaining the how, why and wherefore of what was happening. We were sure to ask the guide if was appropriate to take photos before doing so and both were taken from a distance.

So around 100 bodies a day are cremated on the ghat. The flames you can see are the funeral pyres.

There are a whole series of rituals associated with the cremation, all coordinated by the eldest son (or daughter if there are no sons). The wrapped body is dipped in the Ganges for a final cleansing, and the funeral pyre, (which consists of about 400lb of wood) is built by one a caste of the untouchables called the doms. The body is coated in clarified butter, fragrant wood and spices. The pyre is lit with a torch, lit from a flame at the top of the steps which has supposedly been burning for over 500 years. The whole cremation process lasts about two hours and afterwards, ashes and other remains are consigned the Ganges. At the end of the cremation, family members take a ritual bath in said river. With so many cremations taking place, each at a different stage of the process the totality simply overwhelms the senses. It left us speechless, deep in thought and rather ashamed of the boatloads of westerners who treated it almost as entertainment.

Sue here.  I think Norm has somewhat understated our reaction here.  We were both very impacted by this experience and couldn’t even talk about it until some hours later.  What struck me most was that there was no obvious distress, no weeping and wailing, but simply quiet conversation as family members performed this final act for their loved one.  Cars are not allowed within half a mile of the ghat so bodies were carried on shoulders. Each body was wrapped and then placed on a bamboo ladder and covered in flowers, mostly marigold and rose petals.  Then family members gently carried them down to the river and dipped them into the sacred water.   It was all very peaceful and, I would imagine, very healing.  I couldn’t help but contrast this experience with my mother’s cremation in Minnesota, when the funeral home staff were very surprised by my request to be present on her final journey.  In the US, most cremations happen before the funeral, and family members aren’t involved. 

Then deep in thought onto a ritual called the Aarti ceremony performed twice a day in Varanasi. It’s a heady mix of chanting, incense, coordinated motion, bells and flame performed by six Hindu priests which was utterly enthralling. 

An overwhelming but utterly unique day.

Sue again.  I just wanted to mention something else that I found enthralling - the kites!  Flying kites are everywhere in Varanasi - held by children and adults on rooftops and riverbanks.  I failed dismally to capture them adequately, but they made me feel joyful as they dipped and soared.

Boats and kites