Varanasi: The Burning Ghats of the Holy Ganges River
July 2014
One of our most memorable experiences was visiting the burning ghat at Varanasi which can host up to 200 cremations a day. Each day a group of Doms march dead bodies through the streets of Varanasi. Doms are members of an untouchable caste yet they have the remarkable task of carrying out a devout Hindu's final ritual which happens countless times per day. In fact, while we were enjoying a mango lassi in a side street cafe, a procession of Doms went by with a newly deceased body and we followed them down to the burning ghat where we witnessed first hand the process of cremation.
The family of the deceased according to their financial means chooses one of the funeral packages each with a certain grade and quantity of firewood, sandalwood or sawdust along with straw, ghee (clarified butter) and other ritualistic paraphernalia. The body is cloaked in gold and ribbons and is paraded around town on a bamboo stretcher before it's taken to the burning ghat along the shores of the Ganges River. They transfer the corpse wrapped in plain cloth onto the pyre and pay their final respects (women do so at home and traditionally do not attend funerals but this is changing in urban India). The priest begins the rituals and the chanting part of the antim sanskaar, or last rites, which vary by region and other social factors. The chief mourner sprinkles ghee on the pyre and is then handed a torch to set it alight which is an intensely emotional moment for most Hindus. It takes about 250 Kgs of firewood and three hours to incinerate a corpse. After the burning is complete, the chief mourner and others douse the smoldering pyre with water from the river. They gather the ashes and fragments of bones in an urn and go down the ghats to empty it into the Ganga.
The family of the deceased according to their financial means chooses one of the funeral packages each with a certain grade and quantity of firewood, sandalwood or sawdust along with straw, ghee (clarified butter) and other ritualistic paraphernalia. The body is cloaked in gold and ribbons and is paraded around town on a bamboo stretcher before it's taken to the burning ghat along the shores of the Ganges River. They transfer the corpse wrapped in plain cloth onto the pyre and pay their final respects (women do so at home and traditionally do not attend funerals but this is changing in urban India). The priest begins the rituals and the chanting part of the antim sanskaar, or last rites, which vary by region and other social factors. The chief mourner sprinkles ghee on the pyre and is then handed a torch to set it alight which is an intensely emotional moment for most Hindus. It takes about 250 Kgs of firewood and three hours to incinerate a corpse. After the burning is complete, the chief mourner and others douse the smoldering pyre with water from the river. They gather the ashes and fragments of bones in an urn and go down the ghats to empty it into the Ganga.
It was explained to us that five types of bodies are not cremated here which include Sadhus, lepers, children under five, pregnant women and snake-bite victims. They are said not to need further purification by fire so instead, are floated in the sacred river. They are taken in a boat to the middle of the Ganga, tied to a stone and sunk to the bottom. However, some of these corpses or parts of them later float up to the surface, spooking unsuspecting tourists. In fact, during our 5:30am morning boat ride on the river a partially decaying corpse bumped into our boat; so yes, it happens! As we watched the spectacle from a balcony above the burning ghat, the experience was somewhat numbing and sobering at the same time. To see our common fate played out before our eyes helped remind us that oneday we will all return in one way or another to the ground. But for today, life is now...