RU  UK  EN
Статьи  >  Visit  >  Varanasi: Crematorium City

Varanasi: Crematorium City

Автор: 23.02.2019 | travel, India
Some call it the city of temples, some – created by gods and others call it crematorium on the Ganges River. Today we speak about Indian city of Varanasi where no one is scared by death and the latter one has long ago become business. This metropolis with a million and a half of population, situated in the north-west of the state, was, according to legends, founded over five thousand years ago by Lord Shiva.

With time “the architect” left for the mountains and abandoned the sacred place for people to live their mortal lives in it. Nevertheless, the cult remained so Varanasi is believed to be one of the main places of pilgrimage for the majority of Hindus and as nearly as a religious capital of the state.

Фото zastavki.com

Should we leave its spiritual value aside for a moment and have a look from an outside point of view, we'll see that it is a pretty well developed city. Spread out on a bank of the great Ganges, it is the main center for Banarasi silk manufacturing. It is so in many ways because many Muslims, who weaver, live in Varanasi and Indians, in their own turn, sell it. That’s a kind of team work.

Thank to this product and developed consumer industry in general, locals live pretty well with the metropolis itself attracting citizens and tourists. It is quite modern – take a look at least at their brand new airport. And after all it’s India that for many is associated with districts crowded with people and unremitting trade.

Almost every street, where life goes “for show” – everything is visible, starting from cooking food and concluding with funeral preparations, lead to the Ganges or more precisely to ghats – steps that go down to the water. There are a total of over 80 of them in the city and each is sacred in a way. At dawn thousands of people use them to perform ablution in the country’s main river. And it was on ghats where the thing that has made the city world-famous takes place: it is human flesh burning.

Фото zastavki.com

We won’t even write stuff like “weak-nerved people should neither read nor look further” because it won’t make Varanasi cease being a “non-stop crematorium” while it is useful for civilized people to broaden their horizons, to know and understand things that happen outside their yards. So, yes, every morning thousands people, both dead and alive, fill the quay. Among them poor men from neighboring villages as well as billionaires from Delhi or London can be seen.

According to ancient traditions, to have a morning swim in the Ganges is akin to a prayer. Therefore many rush here before work for quick five minutes. Well, and for the others the river bank becomes the final waypoint of their earthy course. Ancient Indian belief has it that if a corpse is burned on Varanasi ghats and the remains are sent to the water, the dead man’s soul escapes the cycle of reincarnation and heads for the aspired nirvana.

Since India is a country where religious rites are very strong, one can meet a lot of people on the quay of Varanasi who are awaiting their death for years only to die in a sacred city. They spend days sitting by the water, surrounded by relatives, and reflect about the only thing. And since nothing human is alien even to religious Hindus, the whole process is placed on business rails. Aside from the fact that dozens of companies all over the state take money for delivery of deceased to cremation in Varanasi over a period of 5-7 hours, local wheeler-dealers with their offices nearby earn directly from those who are “on the spot”.

Before a body is burnt, it is massaged, oiled and decorated with petals. Depending on wood, the whole procedure costs 80 dollars and more. But that’s a “fat-cat way”. The majority buries their relatives by themselves and in addition niggle tourists asking for money.

Фото cicom.byethost17.com

Actually, ghats are an amazing place, one can even say a venue spot that isn’t in fact as scary as it seems when described. If your nerves are fine, you should have a stroll there at least to see with your own eyes how life and death got mixed on a limited territory. They do all kinds of things on the quay: meditate, do yoga exercises, have snacks or drinks, smoke marijuana, do laundry and set dates. And all of it through the lens of air, that trembles with fires, prayers and weeping, and a smell of burning flesh. Locals are so accustomed to this picture that they do not understand what is astonishing and incredible about it.

Interesting and useful information:

- Tourists should know that there is no law that forbids taking pictures of the proceedings but local swindlers will most likely make you purchase a license (a paper with a stamp) from them that will cost some 50-100 dollars. They can only be scared away by a paper of your own with an official stamp of local police, an Embassy, etc.

- Many in Varanasi drink from the Ganges, at that, due to such amounts of mortal remains its water is so poisonous that, according to investigation by Discovery Channel, it should kill a horse after merely a couple of laps. The fact that locals don’t get sick is a phenomenon.

- In the area of ghats special services work, it is their duty to catch non-sunken bodies and make them drown. Every year these guys find among seemingly dead people alive ones – those who didn’t die during cremation.

- Small town of Sarnath, where Buddha used to preach, is situated in the vicinity.

- Cows, children under 10 years and pregnant women aren’t burned. All of them are believed either already or still sacred, so they don’t need purging.

Main photo wikiway.соm

Вам это будет интересно:
Leather Tanneries in Fez: Rainbow palette of the East
Ancient Fez medina is firmly holding time in a criss-crossing maze of tiny alleyways and picturesque shops. The medieval town of craftsmen does not recognize modern technology, however, it is not difficult to trace a full production of cute handbag with embossed lettering. The leather for souvenir is produced there, in courtyards, and at a reasonable cost a tannery owner would reveal details of folk art with a millennial history.
Departure: Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan is called Middle Asian Switzerland. Mountains, rivers, waterfalls, caves, cols and green meadows aren’t a speck inferior in terms of aesthetics to European ones yet travelers haven't duly appreciated this country so far. Across-the-board exploration of the land by the state’s guests has only just begun. And alongside hotels that are being swiftly erected, ordinary yurts are still offered for residence to feel local natural.
Dark blue pearl of Mongolia
Six million years ago, in faraway Mongolia a deep crater of an extinct volcano was gradually filled to the brims with water, turning into a wonderful lake. Water ran high with gusts of wind, and sparkled in the sun like precious jewel, so no wonder that along with the official name of Hövsgöl Lake, this nature wonder has a more poetic name of the Dark Blue Pearl.
If you have 10 dollars and you are in New York
Finally, one of our favorite categories reached the city, where dollars are considered as the main currency. Thus, we will not have to go around exchange offices and constantly convert prices. So, we go to such a different and exciting New York to spend our 10 dollars.
Gjirokastër: “Albanian Rome”
A function of UNESCO World Heritage Committee is to work in the most careful manner year after year on studying objects that constitute outstanding culture civilizations and are unique in their origins. Under number 569 of an impressive list of the organization city of Gjirokastër, the one from the south of Albania, is located – it is it we are going to study today through the length and breadth.
Belgium with the eyes of Marina Orlova: How the belgians live
Marina Orlova is a project manager in a cultural and public organization. Working on one of her international projects, she met her love - Wim, a guy from Belgium. She succeeded to visit his country only when Ukraine obtained visa-free regime and Marina shared with OUTLOOK her observations about how the Belgians live, what they eat for breakfast and how they relax.
Iceland through the eyes of Sofiya Andrushchenko
Iceland is a ‘country of ice and fire’, ‘country of thousand rivers and lakes’, countless waterfalls and geysers. There, like in a fairy tale, again and again, you feel like pinching yourself to check if you are dreaming or does it all really exist…
Lekh. On top of the world
From the first sight it is not clear, whether this cliffs are tightly pressed against the dilapidated Buddhist temples or the ancient buildings are looking for support and comfort from the boulders. Lekh, the ancient city, is located in northern India at an altitude of three thousand meters in Jammu state...
Jaipur. Pink city. Part 2
Jaipur is always invaded by hordes of tourists. The city is included into the most of India travel guides. There are enough hotels, many street diners and comfortable cafes, no problem with the choice of transport. The local people are friendly and helpful to visitors. If this impulse is encouraged with a few rupees, the Indians will be happy to share information...
Several facets of a multi-faceted Boston
Impressions of this city depend much on what you have visited before being introduced to it. After Los Angeles it may seem very business-like and culturally rich, after New York – provincial and old-fashioned somehow. In any case, it has a bright and memorable face of a gentleman from Massachusetts.
Jaipur. Pink city
Someone compares Jaipur with lace tablecloth; others with a box of pink marshmallows; and some admirers claim this is a hive densely inhabited by bees. However, everyone agrees on one thing: there is the wonderful air full of freedom which cannot be found in Europe. It fills the lungs and breathing it a traveller loses count of hours and even centuries.
VIDEO. Bethlehem: perfect holiness
On this great holiday for all Christians of the Orthodox rite, we want to present you a video about the holy places of Palestine, namely the city of Bethlehem.
VIDEO: Vanilla, pistachio... orchid
With the assistance of the Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic in Ukraine we visited Damascus and enjoyed very interesting place. Watch!
Indian village Kodhini: the unraveled mystery of twins
In the world there is an unusual place where the biggest number of twins are born. Although at first glance it looks like a mystical coincidence, statistics makes you believe in miracles. The Indian state of Kerala can boast of a village where unusual things happen. Kodhini is the place with more twins than anywhere else in the world. Actually, there is almost no explanation for this.
Foot walk around Aachen
To visit three countries over one day – it is possible if you are in Aachen. Situated amid Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, small student town took in features of medieval culture that reflected in its astonishing architecture. Yelena Buravtsova visited the town for it to win her heart with its off-beat monuments, streets paved with stone blocks, cozy cafés, one of a kind printed spice cake, museums and spectacular races.
Chan Chan. Peru city from clay
Experienced travelers tell that one could watch the ruins of ancient settlements in the Andes during several months, moving from one region to another. Particularly, the richest one in archaeological complexes of is the western coast of the Southern continent. A long time ago, some of them, such as Machu Picchu, have become popular with tourists, others are just beginning to open their doors to curious people.
World ghettos: Little Italy a la New York
When moving to a new country, more often than not people tend to get settled nearby emigrants like themselves. It is pretty convenient: accommodation isn’t expensive, job can be found right on the location and there is no need to study a new language – everyone around understands you. This is how national ghettos appear.
Sightseeing in the Asian part of Istanbul
Judging by the reviews of the majority of tourists who visited Istanbul, many of them did not reach Asian part of the main Turkish metropolis, or did not have a proper walk there. The best case, they just saw SabihaGökçen International Airport and ferry docks, a destination of leisure cruses from Europe, where on the way one can feed with bread seagulls swooping overhead.
We were there: Prague
Prague... It is romantic, decadent, sad and cheerful, sublime and spiritual, reflected in the flapping wings of well-fed seagulls on the Charles Bridge, in the mirror pools of Vltava River... Prague is a very attractive and slightly strange European city. Creative copywriter Masha Goldman once spent several days there and told us about Prague charms.
Borders cannot make harm: The most famous enclaves of the world
Today OUTLOOK travels along the cities and countries that are considered as the most interesting from the point of view of geography and administrative management. Moreover, they are enclaves as they are located within the territories of other states.
Закрыть
Outlook facebook page