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    Varanasi, India

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    The cremation is an expensive ceremony for the millions that live below the poverty line in India. Throughout the continent Hindus work into their old age to afford this, budgeting the travel of their ailing selves or the transport of their deceased body, as well as enough wood to complete the cremation. (These colourful women in Rajasthan dream of such an honourable farewell, joking that they’ll come back as dogs in the next life to bite their sons if they don’t see to it.) Views[136] One of the few esteemed ‘Ogher Baba’s left in Varanasi, a Hindu ‘priest’ that amongst other traditional ceremonies, eats the flesh of the deceased, using the large tongs to crush the bones and pick the meat out of the fire. These Babas wear a necklace of human femur and Rudracksh, holy seeds from Himalayas that are said to be the tears of Shiva and contain magnetic properties that align the body and soul. Views[1796] It is disrespectful to photograph the funerals themselves however in an attempt to capture the deep faith and passion of the devoted, this series tells a minute sliver of the story of the Hindu faith that revolves around the holy Ganga and the ancient city of Benares. (These men huddle around a fire by a chai stall, holding up their underwear to dry after bathing in the holy waters.) Views[232] If one cannot afforded enough wood, they must depend on the charity of others, or else the remainder of the body is given to the river. A smoky haze lies over Varanasi with ash lightly falling all around you 24 hours a day from the Burning Ghats that are never far away. (These men have followed generations before them, selling precious sandalwood for the cremations.) Views[167] Over 3000 years of stories has made Varanasi the Great pilgrimage of Hinduism. The stretch of the Ganges that runs through Varanasi is the holiest place for Hindus to die and be cremated, where it is said the soul will reach higher places in the next life. (A body is passed down from the roof of a jeep, unnoticed amongst the hustle and bustle of the Indian streets, an everyday occurrence in the company of the deliveries and business that has flocked this main bazaar for thousands of years.) Views[206]
     

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