People say that Varanasi is the place to see the extremes of India. Varanasi is one of the holiest cities in India, and it is an auspicious place to die. Since I was only going to be in Varanasi two nights, I decided to stay in a guesthouse right on the Ganges. Ghats line the Ganges, and thousands of people use the river for a variety of purposes. That's what I found so amazing about it. From my balcony, I could see holy men performing religious ceremonies, young men soaping up and taking a bath, women washing laundry, and children canon-balling into the water in play. In the midst of all of this life, workers are gathering wood to cremate the dead. The ashes are then swept into the Ganges. It's incredible how efficiently the whole process is carried out. One man was telling me that they have calculated exactly how much wood it takes to burn a body, as well as how long it takes--3 hours normally and 1 hour in the electric burning ghat.
Babies, pregnant women, and people with leprosy are not cremated. Instead their bodies are weighted with stones and dumped into the Ganges. Later these bodies bloat and float to the surface where they are eaten by birds, dogs, and other animals. I actually saw one of these bodies when I was sitting on the ghat steps outside of my guesthouse.
Experiencing Varanasi in all of its colors was certainly a highlight of my trip. Whenever I stepped out of my guesthouse, the smoke from the next door burning ghat reminded me of the potency of this city. The streets lining the river are very narrow, and they are crowded with cows, goats, holy men, and people simply living. Even rickshaws can't fit down the narrow alleyways, so it's relatively free from horns and motors. Varanasi is the city sacred to Shiva, and the roads twist and turn like a cobra, one of Shiva's sacred animals. At first I was scared to venture far from my guesthouse, afraid I would be lost in the depths of the city. But then I realized that getting lost was part of the experience. And so I let go and walked the streets at random, allowing my curiosity to guide me and knowing that the card of my guesthouse in combination with a few friendly strangers would safely lead me back.
You can see in the photos above the sinking Scindia Ghat, near where I was staying. Then there is the view of the nearby ghats, one of which is the burning ghat. Photos of the funeral pyres are not allowed, but you can see the smoke from them. Finally, I've included a shot of some of the people coming to the river to bathe. Overall, I'm very glad that I visited Varanasi. I was slightly frustrated because I could not really sit on the steps to the Ganges and people watch. I tried at one point, equipped with a hat, dark glasses, and a book. Within five minutes I looked up and a crowd of 20 young men were surrounding me. I managed to escape by telling them that I would take their photo, so they needed to back up. After quickly taking a shot, I made use of the space and took off. Ah, the tricks you learn as a woman traveling alone through India!
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