Floating down the Ganges

April 2005

For Hindus, Varanasi is seen as the holiest city in India where millions of pilgrims come to the Ganges River to wash away their mortality. Lord Shiva is present in all parts of the city from the sacred ghats to the Hindu temples. Those who die in Varanasi are guaranteed moksha, or liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth. Therefore, funerals and cremations are an everyday occurrence.
I was able to experience this spirituality first hand while floating down the Ganges River on a boat ride. Every night, the Main Ghat holds a holy ceremony dedicated to the the Ganges with musical chants and dancing. The ghat gets extremely crowded with pilgrims and observers.
On my boat ride, we were also taken further down the River to the Assi ghat which is where all the cremations go down. On that particular night, 16 cremations could be seen by the burning fire pits along the ghats of the river. It was an extremely somber moment for all of us as we watched the flames shoot up into the nighttime sky. The smell of burning flesh wasn't too appealing either.

The following morning, we got to experience the Ganges River from a different perspective. Awaken very early, we rented a boat on the river to watch the sunrise and pilgrims bathing in the water. The atmosphere was completely different and refreshing than our previous experience the night before. However, that changed as soon as we saw a dead body floating downstream. As our guide later explained to us, the bodies which are not cremated, are usually placed in the River. These cases would include holy men, children under 12 and pregnant women.
Hinduism believes that the body is only a house for the soul and therefore becomes "dirty" once the person is deceased. That is why the body is cremated so that the soul may find another house to reincarnate itself. Yet, the bodies of holy men, and children are seen as pure, so they are not burned. Pregnant women on the other hand were left afloat because it was believed that the unborn child may continue to live and hopefully be returned to the household when it was born.
The ghats in Varanasi are a great location to sit down and absorb everything in. The locals are so surprised and curious to see foreigners, it is almost uncomfortable how they stare for so long. But, being in the presence of such holy and dedicated pilgrims is really amazing. A chat with a Brahmin is truly an experience to have if only for the red stroke they place on your forehead.