This the famous Holy river in India. It is long, wide and with a strong current though sometimes hard to see its strength.
It is beleived that this is the purest waters which can heal aswell help people attain Nirvana (heaven). People hope to die and be burned in Varanasi along the river. This ensures that people will not be reincarnated but instead find everlasting peace in heaven.
Those not burned are: children under 16, animals, those with leporasy, women who are pregnant and died. Why: Children are still pure so do not need to be cleansed. Women who are pregnant - they were sad to die with their baby, so they would want to be reincarnated to try to live a good life again. Those with leporasy - as they suffered too much in life so need to return to have a good life before reaching heaven. Animals are not - because the wood is too expensive.
It take about 200Kgs of wood to burn an entire body. Not all people can afford the 30,000 rupees so they might not have enough wood to finish the burning. Any remaining parts are also thrown in the river.
The family mourns at home. Only the men attend the cremation. The son, brother or husband is the one to say the prayers for the dead. Never a woman.
The river though is prayed to twice a day officially. However the people here bath in it, wash their bikes in it, throw rubbish in it, swim in it and also dip themselves to be purified by it. Everything is done to the river. It is a infestation for disease - yet indeed the local people drink and are not affected by it - perhaps it is true then that if you truely beleive then it can only do you good.
The cremation is not just for the hindu people. All religions can also have the cremation done here - you just have to get permission.
The site of the burning body did not affect me as badly the second time around. Still it was hard to see.
Ciao.
