Ghatting to know you

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Arrived in Varanasi a couple of days ago as a big festival was in full swing, the city is made up of an old town with narrow winding streets that are impossible to navigate, larger and very congested main roads and the reason everyone comes, the ghats.
These are a series of big stone steps that run down to the river Ganges along the West bank for a couple of miles. They are used for a range of activities including practival things like washing bodies and clothes, fishing, launching boats etc as well as a pleasure promenade where people stroll, sit and fly kites due to the lack of traffic and relative peace. This is only half the story as the Ganges is the most holy river to Hindus so all manner of offerings are made to various Gods as well as the river being the most auspicious place for a Hndu to die. As a result some of the ghats are reserved for funeral cremations where a body is wrapped in cloth (white for men, red for women), stretched down to the river, dipped in the holy water then cremated on a pyre made from different types of wood that is all carefully weighed so it can be paid for by the family.
We stumbled upon a burning ghat only 30 minutes into our first exploration which took us by surprise and we felt somewhat awkward watching this intimate ceremony, we sat on a step a little way from the ghat and watched events unfold as prayers were said, incense was lit and the wood was stacked up. The whole event was very calm and happy and certainly a reverent way to go.
The festival itself was somewhat overwhelming, we found ourselves sat on steps in a ghat that was filling fast with families until the whole place was jam-packed with men, children and women in bright saris. They sat down and lit candles around food offerings under a bamboo tripod which were later floated out onto the river. Music was blaring, drums were banging and we sat for a couple of hours trying, and failing to understand what was going on.
Today Varanasi is much quieter, the streets are navigable and you can even get a stretch of ghat to yourself to sit and relax away from the usual traffic and pollution we've had a lot of in India so far. I can't say either of us understand the first thing about Hinduism but as the sun goes down over the river you can't help thinking Varanasi isn't a bad place to choose for the most holy.
We are both well, relaxing into India and the routine of days off then manic days of travelling at the crack of dawn, stomach are settling with the occasional blip here and there.
Plans are generally to continue East but to try to get to Darjeeling via Patna then head south to Calcutta afterwards.
Hope all is well at home, feels like we've been away for days and months at the same time.
Love, C & A. x

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