Facing death while warming your hands

A long view of the ghats, notic the air quality.
see all photos »

I was told by someone that I had to visit Varanasi. I don't remember who it was but I do remember that he said he could only stay there for 3 days because it was too intense for him. Apparently this city really gets to some people, and I can understand why. Varanasi is positioned on the holy Ganges river. A river that is so polluted with sewage that it is almost incapable of supporting life. A river that the Indians feel honored to bathe in every day, and drink on a regular basis. But this is not the part that is hard. The hard part is the burning bodies. All along the river are the Ghats. Areas of stairs that lead right up to the water, and during the monsoons are covered when the level of the river rises. ON the ghats, 2 specifically, there are placed huge piles of wood, with a few piles of large stones next to them. THis wood is used for the burning of the dead. Depending upon how much money a family has they can afford more expensive wood to send their ancestors off in style, or, if they have no money, the body is simply thrown in the river to float away with the carcasses of dogs and cows. The stones are used for those that are not allowed to be burned. Specifically young children, lepers, sadhus, and pregnant women. The children, sadhus (holy men), and pregnant women are considered pure so they don't need to be burned in order to purify them. The lepers are not burned because superstition has it that the leprosy will go into the air. So all of these folks have large rocks tied to them and they are dumped in the middle of the river. The great holy Gange river, full of sewage, waste, and carcasses, also houses an untold number of dead bodies tied to stones, and the ashes of all of those who are burned on her shores.

One of the many local cows that wander the streets.
see all photos »

Varanasi apparently also has a bad element. In the hostels they strongly suggest, they close and lock their doors, that you are in by 10 or 11. This makes a lot of sense because the city has constant black outs and it is really a huge city with an incredible tangle of back alleyways. It is so easy to get lost in this city it's frightening. There are no straight streets. And when people try to help you find your way it usually ends up worse than if you had just tried to figure it out yourself. Oh, and then there''s all the drug dealers and crooks. But that's just a side note. Varanasi is one hell of a city. I really quite enjoyed it. A very holy and spiritual place. A good place to stay a while and learn. If I had more time I might have stayed longer.

this city really gets to some people