My main charm to visit Varanasi was to watch the burning pyres at Ghats of Ganges (sets of steps leading to the river bank). So one day, I packed my bag and reached there, and started to uncover the Burning Ghat of Varanasi.
Here a Death romance with Life. Varanasi is city of
Moksha, and Nirvana. But to liberate the soul to achieve Nirvana, the worn-out
body must first be burned. The Place Where Death Ends.
The Burning Fires At
Ghats
Burning fires of the
Manikarnika Ghats have been burning for thousands of years. The burning Pyres
are to break the Death and Rebirth cycle. Attainment of Nirvana. I realized
that there is not only one mystery, many still to discover.
Varanasi is a city
where Hindus come to die. Varanasi is city, where living is searching for their
own salvation in its space everyday. A city which promises salvation to the
restless souls. Throughout the day, every day, there are funeral processions
bringing loved ones to the Ghats.
An unfortunate fact of people wanting to die in Varanasi is
that there are crowded boarding homes throughout the city full of elderly
people, many of whom spend their days begging on the streets to save the money
needed for funeral costs.
Varanasi is the only
city in India where pyres burn 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Because the
city is believed to be so sacred, the demand for funerals here is high.
Death is present here as a part of life. No wonder the
people here have a carefree attitude as they understand there is no point
getting worried about anything when you can see your final landing place all
the time. You cannot but notice the playfulness in people and in the air, even
though it is the most spiritual of places in the world.
Burning Ghats
To meet death, there
are burning Ghats, where last rites are being performed almost around the
clock. These are open places, anyone can go, sit and observe the rituals and
contemplate what life means in the end.
It’s believed that if one is cremated in Varanasi, and
their ashes are released into the sacred and purifying water of the Ganges,
their reincarnation cycle will end and they will reach Nirvana. Along the edges
of the river are people having a fun night out, Sadhus smoking with crowds
watching, multiple religious ceremonies, and street vendors selling food and
crafts.
Manikarnika Ghat
There are around 88
Ghats situated around the Ganges, with 2 being specifically used for these
cremations. They are called the
Manikarnika and Harishchandra Ghats, and they carry out on average around 80 cremations
per day.
Burning fires of the Manikarnika Ghats have been burning
for thousands of years.The burning Pyres: Breaking the Death and Rebirth cycle.
Attainment of Nirvana. I realized that there is not only one mystery, many
still to discover.
The most threatening
Ghat, Manikarnika (also known simply as the burning Ghat) is the place where
the majority of dead bodies are cremated in Varanasi.
Hindu mythology
teaches that the Ghat is especially sacred and that people cremated there
receive moksha. As the myth goes, Vishnu, after several thousand years of
tapasya, trying to please Shiva, to convince him to not destroy the holy city
of Kashi when he destroys the world, managed to do so.
Lord Shiva along with
Parvati came to Kashi before Vishnu to grant him his wish. Vishnu dug a kund
(well) on the bank of Ganga for the bath of the couple. When Lord Shiva was
bathing a Mani (Jewel) from his earring fell into the kund.
Hence the name
Manikarnika (Mani: Beads Karnam: Ear Angad: Ornament). There is another myth
about the Ghat: the ear jewel from lord Shiva fell down while he was dancing
angrily, which fell on the earth and thus Manikarnika Ghat formed.
Why Cremation?
If one dies or is
cremated in Varanasi, the soul will be released from the ongoing cycle of
rebirth. After death, Hindus believe that the soul must be released from the
body in order to achieve re-incarnation. Cremation is the only way to achieve
this, with the fire acting as a purifying agent, releasing the soul from the
skull of the body.
Throughout the day,
every day, there are funeral processions bringing loved ones to the Ghats. An
unfortunate fact of people wanting to die in Varanasi is that there are crowded
boarding homes throughout the city full of elderly people, many of whom spend
their days begging on the streets to save the money needed for funeral costs.
Karma, Moksha, and Nirvana
Karma is a major
factor here, with followers of the Hindu religion believing that the soul faces
rebirth after rebirth, though through different forms each time as a result of
how you lived your previous life.
Now, the ultimate aim
of every Hindu is to achieve Moksha, meaning an end to the rebirth cycle, an
end to Karma, allowing the soul to finally reach Nirvana.
The only way to
achieve this is to be cremated and have your ashes scattered in holy
waters. The Ganges is considered to be
the most sacred of rivers, therefore each year, thousands upon thousands have
their wishes granted by being cremated at the burning Ghats of Varanasi.
The Doms
The Doms are the
caretakers as such, of the Ghats, and their role is to protect the ever-burning
flame at the Temple. This flame is
believed to have been created by Lord Shiva, and has been burning for over 3500
years!
The
Doms provide the cremation packages, which includes the purchasing of essential
wood that is needed to burn the bodies, and assistance during the rituals
(sometimes the Doms have to give the skulls a bit of a whack during the
cremation in order for the soul to be released properly!)
After attending fires
all night, workers (Doms) on the sacred burning Ghat take a tea break as
another body is prepared for cremation in the background. Burning pyres run 24
hours a day, all year long, just downstream from the bathing ghats in Varanasi.
The Burning Pyre
The eldest son or
male family member is then required to light the pyre from the ever-burning
flame which then starts the cremation fire. The eternal flame that feeds the
fires is said to have been burning for centuries now. Once the cremation is complete,
the ashes are then scattered into holy waters, whereby Moksha can be achieved.
Here, the eldest son
or family member receives a head shave, for purposes of showing respect for the
deceased, preparing him for his new role as family leader, and also to get rid
of any arrogance or vanity.
For a lot of people
across the Indian subcontinent, standing in the Ganga and praying with their
hands folded is a dream come true – a mission accomplished before they die.
My two days stay
passed away as a dream. Filled with memories of the Burning pyres on Ghat of
Varanasi, where Death romances with Life. People of Varanasi don’t wish to
hurry up; they are fine with what they do. They are bindaas in nature and
always think that Lord Shiva will take care of them. This ends the blog
“Burning Pyres on Ghat of Varanasi: Where Death Romances with Life to Get
Nirvana & Moksha”.
The End
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