Burning Flesh Before Breakfast

Burning Body at Burning Ghat

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Flames dancing. Smouldering tibia attached to a fleshy foot. Stiff arm with yellow shirt sleeve rising from balckened logs. Crackle. Pop. Disintegrating bodies. Green smoke rising. Vapors from the fire make it appear as a mirage. But this is no movie. The smell is undeniable: sandalwood and burning flesh. This is my first cremation. My skin feels instantly sunburned from the heat of the funeral pyre. This is no private, sadistic ritual held in a jungle cave. It is a typical hindu funeral held on the banks of the Ganges River. This is what I came to Varanasi to see.

It is believed that if one dies at the Ganges and their ashes are put into the river, they will not be reborn again. Varanasi is one place with burning ghats where one can be cremated at the Ganges River. Rishikesh is another holy city located on the Ganges, but it only has bathing ghats,

Varanasi Alleyway

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steps into the river where one can bathe and be cleansed of sins or illnesses. Rishikesh is for bathing; Varanasi is for dying.

Even if the person does not dye in Varanasi, the bodies are often brought here for the funeral. Mourners march through the twisting Varanasi alleyways with the body on a bamboo stretcher wrapped in white and gold cloth accompanied by drums and singing. Once they arrive at the river bank, the family watches as the body is dipped into the waters of the magical Ganges River. It is then placed on the ground while the funeral pyre is prepared. The burning ghat is like a well-oiled cremation machine. There are several fires along the bank in different stages of decomposition. Once the funeral pyre is prepared, the body is placed within it and set afire while family and friends watch. Once complete the ashes are collected and poured into the river.

Measuring Wood for Funeral Pyre

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The cost of your funeral is determined by the amount of wood needed to burn the body. Typically 300kg is plenty for the average body. If you have a poor family, you better not get fat if you want a decent funeral!

If you are a sadhu (holy man), child, or pregnant lady your body is not burned. You are fish food instead. Bricks are tied to the body and sunk to the bottom of the river. Because of the healing powers of the Ganges water, a diseased body is also treated this way. Burning a leper's body, for example, is thought to give the observers leprosy. By sinking the body in the Ganges, the powerful water will kill the leprosy. Unfortunately, the disposal of these bodies is not always successful. Frequently bloated bodies can be seen floating down the river. This is not a place for the faint at heart.