Varanasi's Burning Ghat

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To find the Burning Ghat walking through the intricate web of Varanasi's alleyways we followed the pungent smell of burning flesh, and the odd whisp of smoke floating over the cow houses and temples that lined Varanasi's streets.

Olivia and Jamie (I had already been) were very eager to visit Varanasi's main attraction after the Footprint pages (Olivia is also a wiki-aholic) painted such an exotic image of colourful funeral processions and load chanting of cremation prayers.

Varanasi is experiencing high water levels at present which means the river is empty of boats due to the ferocious rip tide. As such the ghats are still recovering from flooding with temples partly under water and flip flops embeded in the muddy path ways coming to and from the waters edge.

To experience the Burning Ghat you need to look at it from all angles, leaving the 'crematorium' until last. When we enetered the Burning Ghat, we carried on past the staring men and groups of women mourning under colourful shades and partially flooded temples towards Scandia Guest House where we could get a better view of pilgrims washing, and men praying on the steps of the Ganges.

Scandia Guest House stands abovethe burning ghat, with the crematorium on one-side and the public loo on the other - not a place that should come recommended. Climbing up to the guest houses' patio Olivia said: 'I bet you anything if this place is in teh Lonely Planet it will say 'lovely view' in teh description!" Sure enough it did!

A few choice photos were taken before the toxic smell of urine from the public loo became too much and we had to race back towards entrance.

Making our way back we spotted two westerners being dragged by a 'guide' (you will find people everywhere around Varanasi promising to guide you around the city and its sites - these are usually normal people after a fast buck and happy to tell you a web of lies about the hisory of the holy riverside city) towards a large pile of logs. Following them to see if they were going after the dead bodies we discovered the barn where they chop the wood for funeral pyres - the westerners were clearly unimpressed that they had just paid 400 rupees just to see this, and were busy having an arguement when we tottered off up a sloping path that overlooked the ghat. Up there we could see the line of dead bodies waiting to be cremated next to the Ganges. Their shrounds represented bright coloured saris and plenty of tinsel like cord.

As we returned to the guest house we came across a funeral procession marching through the narrow streets, forcing us to press against the spit stained walls, carrying a dead body in a hospital hammock, the two feet bobbing up and down at the end.

Olivia and Jamie were very impressed to have finally seen dead bodies and decided that completed our trip, so we spent a chilled evening reflecting on our stay in India so far.

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