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City of Life & Death
A 25 hour train journey (temperature still well into the 40s) brought us north to the famous holy river town of Varanasi.
Nothing, and i mean nothing can prepare you for Varanasi. It is the world's oldest inhabited city, and boy do you feel it!!
Ancient labyrinthine cobbled streets take you back, to an almost medieval era, time has stood still here....no taxis or rickshaws as the streets are too narrow, people use hand pushed carts to ferry goods to and fro, cows and dogs wander freely, and chai is on every corner. With power cuts for up to 14hours a day, the eerie street lighting adds a mystical element.
It is impossible to be unaffected by the religious fervor here. It is the MOST holy place for a Hindu to be cremated,and temples made of gold offer rewards to the thousands of pilgrims that flock from all corners of India for a chance to bathe in the holy Mother Ganga River.
The burning Ghats are the most notorious sight here........... about 300 cremations occur here each day. Families bringing their loved ones wrapped in gold and colorful silk cloth, through
the alleyways, chanting hindu mantras, as they make their way to the river.
All the cremations are performed by the lowest caste of Indian, The Untouchables, who 24hrs a day chop, weigh and sell wood for the pyres ( typically 250 - 350kgs per pyre). Different woods are used depending on the importance of the person, and the size of the family wallet. For example, the very special Sandalwood, prized for its fragrance can cost as much as 3000 rupees per kilo! (an average Indian wage is reckoned to be 100 rupees per day, or less ) The untouchables live and work in the ash rich soil on the banks, and sweat and toil endlessly to keep up with the demand, for wood. They also have to tend the pyres as they burn, ensuring a "complete" job....not for the faint hearted.
The details of the cremations don't make for light reading , so instead I will try to describe the rituals surrounding the process.
The bodies, as mentioned are carried by male family members only, women are considered too emotional to attend, and crying interferes with the soul's journey to nirvana. (women are also banned as in
bygone times widows often jumped, or were thrown on their husbands pyres to burn with them).
On arrival at the ghat, the eldest son (if father dies, youngest if mother), will bathe in the Ganges, then have his head, beard and armpits shaved and dress in a simple white cloth (picture Ghandi).
The body will then be washed in the river and the family gives the body its last 'drink'. The body is now clean, spiritually and physically.Next it is laid onto the pyre and the son will light straw from a holy flame in the temple, reckoned to have been burning for 3500 yrs. The son the walks round the body 5 times saying Ram Ram Shanti Hey (god god your true name?), before lighting the pyre. The body takes between 2 - 5 hrs to burn. Ashes are then swept up and gleened for jewelry and gold teeth etc (given to the owner of the ghat, as wordy possessions are of no use to the dead. And it starts all over again.
There are exceptions to cremation....pregnant women and children under twelve are deemed to be without sin, so have no need for cremation they are
simply tied to a slab of stoned and taken to be sunk in the middle of the river..sadly we did see some families with stones.
Back to brighter subjects............... we took many morning walks along the ghats watching cricket, swimming club races, and families bathing, drinking chai and chatting to very stoned holy bubbas!!
Each evening several ghats were alive with elaborate, spellbinding noisy holy poojas. Clanging bells, wafting incense and ancient singing made the river come alive as thousands watched from row boats and along the banks.
Its very very hard to describe this place fully, and the effect its had on all of us, maybe over a glass of wine when we get home is best.
This is truly a life and death experience.
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Shankar's Crutch
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Boom Boom !! Skankar Skankar
How those pics!!! Wish i was there, Look forward to the Nepal pics. Liff a handy phrase "khaya Dickra Hey Hoe" Meaning What are you looking at , you could drop "Chilchatta" at the end which means cockaroacha Speak soon