We took an over-night train to Varanasi. After freshening up at the guest house, we went for a walk along the bank of the river Ganges. Varanasi is the most holy of cities for the Hindu faith and one of the oldest in the world! As we were walking along the bank we first saw bathers in the river 'washing' themselves with the holy river water, even though it is brown with dirt and rubbish and 10 miles up stream there are toxic metals being poured into the river by factories. So sad... We wondered if the ancient belief in this holy water still meant that it helped and healed rather than harmed its bathers.
We then went for a walk the other way down the river for a few km and waited for sunset and the daily prayer ritual. This was amazing. Seven young men in robes stood in a line on stage whilst chanting and song carried around them. They performed a synchronised ritual involving bells, gongs, shell flutes and incense. It carried on for over an hour and the crowd drawn there was huge. Every paving stone in the area was a seat and the whole river in front of the ceremony was packed with boats full of people watching and joining in the chanting. At each of the ghats where stairs go into the river people would take bowls made of leaves containing flowers and a lit candle and push it out into the water. Once past the boats the floating lights drifted down the Ganges carrying prayers and wishes with them.
Next day, with pack-lunch and lots of water we set off for the station to begin our mamouth train ride to Mumbai! This train takes 26 hours as it basically crosses from east to west. Because of the length we decided to treat ourselves to 2nd class sleeper - which has the luxury of air conditioning and they even give you bed sheets! Many games of cards, Forrest Gump and little sleep later we arrived in Mumbai...
It was my idea to come all the way out East as I wanted to see the Ganges and the rituals performed along it, including the cremation sites. We walked over and watched as as many as 10 - 15 bodies, barely covered in shrouds, being washed before being placed on a individual fire stacks. The site was amazing, although very sad at the same time. To watch a guy flipping a relative's charred body so that it caught fire again was something I've never seen before. Once burnt the body parts were thrown into the river.
Saying that it was sad isn't so true. In fact around the burial site no one is allowed to cry as this emotion could interrupt the soul leaving the body of the cremated. We learnt that Hindu women are not allowed in the place as they are more likely to weep and tarnish the released soul. It is also said that in past times the intense sadness of the women would let spirits enter that would make them throw themselves onto the flames with their late husbands. Centuries before, this act called Sati was actually expected of the many wives of the maharajas. We spent not long here as it was so intense. To witness such a different form of funeral, a different form of mourning stemming from belief in reincarnation was shocking and made us both conscious of our difference and intrusion, as welcomed as we were by the people around.
We then went for a walk the other way down the river for a few km and waited for sunset and the daily prayer ritual. This was amazing. Seven young men in robes stood in a line on stage whilst chanting and song carried around them. They performed a synchronised ritual involving bells, gongs, shell flutes and incense. It carried on for over an hour and the crowd drawn there was huge. Every paving stone in the area was a seat and the whole river in front of the ceremony was packed with boats full of people watching and joining in the chanting. At each of the ghats where stairs go into the river people would take bowls made of leaves containing flowers and a lit candle and push it out into the water. Once past the boats the floating lights drifted down the Ganges carrying prayers and wishes with them.
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