Varanasi, the religious heart of India, is rife with fascinating spiritual practices. There are Sadhus (Shaivite ascetic beggars) wandering from temple to ubiquitous temple and in places the sound of bells and drums are actually louder than the sound of honking horns. The most interesting part of the city, the older part, is located right where major tributaries form the Ganges, which is said to flow directly from the crown of Shiva's head.
The ghats, or stairs leading down to the water, lie just beyond the maze of arms-length wide alleys I've been totally unable to navigate. People come here to bathe in the mindbogglingly polluted holy water which can wash away all sin. There are also several burning ghats where funeral pyres burn. Those who are cremated here immediately attain nirvana.
I went to check them out after watching the elaborate nightly ganga aarti ceremony (pictured) and was shocked by how nonchalant everyone was. The family members seemed oddly unphased, and although pictures weren't allowed, no one cared how close foreigners got to the pyres.
Apparently sometimes the bodies don't burn completely---it's very difficult to know how much of the very expensive wood is necessary and people pay by the log---and are simply thrown into the river. Maybe people don't grieve as much when they know the person will attain moksha. Then again, female family members aren't allowed to come for fear they will commit sati, self immolation on their husband's funeral pyre.
3 comments:
did you take that picture? at night?
Yes. Most of the night pictures I take come out pretty crappy but I cropped this one a lot so it looks okay.
self immolation on thier husband's funeral pyre...? Is that really a problem or is it just some outdated sexism?
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