February
2-4, 2014
Varanasi,
India
A
smooth arrival in this holy city, after a comfortable, albeit
crowded, flight on Air India. Downtown Varanasi is a maze of squalor
and filth; cows, pigs, and dogs wander freely; there are lots of men
and women standing around and children begging, their bare feet
darkened by dust and dirt. It's a rather primitive life in our 21st
century; lots of small cars and taxis honk their horns, tangled wires
hang everywhere, garbage litters the streets, and among and between
all of this, people set up shop on the street and live in make-shift
dwellings. This is a religious center, one dedicated to the god,
Shiva, the god of destruction, but also of transformation. Maybe it's
my imagination, but I sense a spirit here, not of despair, but simply
of acceptance...that this is the way life is. Perhaps it has
something to do with reincarnation and the holiness of the Ganges
that runs through the city.
I do
not believe in cremation; it goes against my religious upbringing and
approach to death, but seeing Hindu cremations and the reverence and
respect shown to the deceased has enriched my understanding of a
practice that I, prior to my visit here, had no experience nor
appreciation of.
Cremation
is fundamental to the Hindu religion and it is believed that if one
is cremated in Varanasi or, at least, one's ashes are brought here to
be emptied into the Ganges River, that salvation is assured. In
Varanasi, the ceremonies take place in the evening. The ghats (flight
of steps leading down to a river landing for ritual bathers) are
crowded tonight and there are people everywhere taking part in the
various stages of the ceremonies. The bodies are brought down on
stretchers and immersed in the water for purification and then the
families make the arrangements for the cremation; the pyre being lit
by the eldest son. It is a mesmerizing sight and one cannot but feel
emotional and a bit in awe watching as an outsider.
Our
first morning in Varanasi began with a 5:30 am wake-up call and a
6:00 am departure for a sunrise boat ride on the Ganges. People were
bathing, men were exercising, children frolicked in the water, but
wherever one was or whatever he/she was doing, no one was
bothered...morning bathing in the Ganges is a private affair...to be
done alone or with friends. Afterward, as we walked back to the bus,
children flocked around us, selling postcards and flowers to be used
for personal prayers. The townspeople were setting up their fruit and
vegetable stands and assorted kiosks and women sat on the ground,
babies in their arms, begging for money.
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