One Year Away

Joseph

Hindus believe that if you die in the city of Varanasi you are freed from the cycle of rebirth and enter Nirvana.  We came to Varanasi for two reasons; to see the Ganges river at the holiest city along its shore, and far more practically, because it’s close to Kathmandu and there were inexpensive flights.

Our first glimpse of India came from the back of an auto rickshaw as we puttered along to the old town from the airport.  Our driver had his head turned completely around to speak to us while happily ignoring the honking trucks, rickshaws, wandering cows and their resulting piles of dung, bicycles, pedestrians, potholes and old Ambassador cabs.  Only by the grace of Vishnu did we arrived at the old town in one piece. 

The main reason to visit Varanasi is to see the ghats; wide stone steps that lead dow n to the river.  They are used as a place from which to bathe in the holy water of the river, wash clothes and just hang out.  On a narrow landing above the steps impromptu cricket matches are played by the young boys of the town. 

We woke up early one morning to take a ride in a row boat along the ghats as the sun was rising.  Even at that early hour the ghats were crowded with people washing themselves in the river.  The men lathered themselves up and then jumped into the river.  The women wore their colourful saris even while bathing. 

Unfortunately, 30 sewers dump raw sewage into the river at Varanasi and tests show that it has 3000 times the safe amount of fecal matter in it.  One rickshaw driver we hired insisted that since the river flowed from the feet of Vishnu the water was pure and good.   I remained unconvinced and there would be no bathing in that water for me. 

The most memorable sight along the river though was the cremation of bodies.  Out of respect for the families we did not take any photos.  Devout Hindus want to be cremated along the holy river and then have their ashes spread into the water.  We met the owner of a cremation service by one of the “burning ghats” and he took us through the process as we stood and watched 3 different cremations all going on at the same time. 

Since there is no way to preserve the bodies in the heat the families usually arrive with the body within 5-7 hours of the death.  The family informs the ghat workers what kind and amount of wood they want for the pyre.  The logs are meticulously weighed and the family is charged per kilogram of wood.  Rich families opt for sandalwood because it is more prestigious and smells nice when burned.  When the pyre is built, the body, covered in cloth, is laid on top and the male family members walk around 5 times then light it with a holy flame brought from a nearby temple.  The ghat workers tend the fire and  make sure that the body burns completely.  At one point they use a bamboo pole to break the charred remains and stir them into the coals. 

The whole process happens out in the open.  Within 5 meters of a body being prepared for cremation some local kids were playing cricket with the ball zooming past the family members.  In the river next to the ghat water buffalo cooled themselves, dogs lazed in the sun and onlookers watched the cremations. 

Women family members are not allowed to attend the cremation of their loved-ones.  One reason we were told is that women tend to cry during the cremation and their cries do not allow the soul of the deceased to leave the body and to reach nirvana. Another is that wives of the deceased used to throw themselves on the fire as their husband burned.  This practice of was outlawed 7 years ago…