The Burning Ghat – Varanasi India

There are some places in the world that are almost impossible to describe and Varanasi India is one of those places. This is one of the holiest cities in the world and sits on the banks of the river Ganges. It is considered one of the holiest places in the Hindu religion and it is believed that a person who dies in Varanasi can have their soul free of continual reincarnation. Because of this belief it is also a city where you are constantly confronted with death. There are numerous funeral processions (groups of people carrying a body decorated with flowers, etc) that come through the narrow alleyways of the city on their way down to the river. Because cremation is so important to faithful Hindus, and because Varanasi is the preferred place to die, there are constantly cremation ceremonies happening day/night on the banks of the river. Most of these cremations are done at a place called “The Burning Ghat.” Nothing can prepare you for your first glimpse of this fascinating place. It is a collection of old buildings (most with no glass on the windows) that are very worn down. Surrounding these buildings are thousands of pieces of wood (for the cremation fires) stacked neatly into large bundles that rise well above 6ft. At the base of the buildings are steps that lead down towards the river where all the cremations are performed. Being a westerner there is nothing more shocking then when you get your first glimpse of a cremation in Varanasi. The body of the deceased person is wrapped in white cloth and placed on top of a large pile of wood which is then set on fire. Eventually the fire grows so large you can no longer see the human body as it is engulfed in flames. However, before this happens you can clearly see the body (wrapped in white cloth) being consumed by flames. Although this ceremony is very sacred to the Hindus it is extremely foreign to a westerner and no matter how many times Lindsay and I saw this we never got used to it. Because there are so many cremations happening day/night in Varanasi there is always a blanket of smoke hovering over the banks of the river. When Lindsay and I first realized we were smelling/breathing the smoke from a cremation fire we became a little ill. :) During the day it is actually quite difficult to get close to The Burning Ghat as there are numerous touts and vagabonds waiting to bug you for money. However, we hooked up with a local named “Papu” who showed us around. Although it was fascinating to see this from land nothing compares to the late evening boat ride we took on the Ganges and seeing the fires on the shore. The sun had set and nighttime was falling over Varanasi and it was quite eerie to see the cremation fires on the shore from out on the water. I mean no disrespect when I say this but The Burning Ghat is one of the scariest places we have ever seen. Not only is the public cremation such a foreign concept but the look and feel of the buildings and surroundings is dark, run down and eerie. Once we got past the initial culture shock we could begin to appreciate the religious and cultural beauty of what we were seeing. One thing is for sure…there is no place in the world like The Burning Ghat of Varanasi.