You say Banaras. I say Varanasi.

Greetings from Varanasi, a city that is to Hindus what Mecca is to Muslims.  It is the spiritual birthplace of Hinduism and is often referred to as the Holy City of India. The city dates back to the 11th century BC and is considered one of the oldest, continuously inhabited cities in the world. Varanasi's population is 3.6 million and growing.  That doesn't include the millions of pilgrims who come every year from around the world to bathe in the Ganges River to remit their sins or cremate their dead and spread the ashes. 

Varanasi was originally called Banaras. This was changed in the late 1960s to reflect the two rivers that run through the city -- Varuna and Asi. However, a good name dies hard it seems, because the locals still call the city Banaras.  But why stop at two names?  It is also referred to as Kashi or the City of Light for good measure.  Today, Varanasi is home to over 3.2 million Indians of Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist faiths.  

On our way from the airport to our hotel in Varanasi, our Airport Meet and Greet guy, Rahula, was providing us with an overview to the city. Born and raised here, he proudly proclaimed that, "Everyone wants to die when they come to Varanasi." We decided that, aside from having great potential as a marketing slogan, we don't think that Rahula meant to suggest that we wanted to die, like, today. 

Rahula was full of great quotes. As we drove along, he described the cremation process. We were told that it takes approximately 4 hours to complete, and uses about 240 kilograms of wood. That's a lot of lumber. In the midst of this description, he suddenly announces excitedly, "There is a body on top of that car ahead! See it? It is sparking." Oh God, we thought.  Do they actually start burning the body on the way to the Ganges? Is the wind causing the body to spark on top of the car? When we got closer, we could see that the body was covered with a blanket decorated with sequins. Rahula had meant to say 'sparkling' not 'sparking'. Great relief. 

The Ganges is the most sacred river in India for Hindus. Every evening, a spectacular Aarti ceremony takes place on its Ghats (steps) as a way of giving thanks for all that the Ganges offers. Getting there is quite an experience as a car can only take you part way. The rest of the distance is travelled by foot, as you weave your way through traffic, merchants, and beggers, avoiding cows lying on the sidewalk, dogs fighting with each and literally thousands of  pilgrims, each one of them headed for the same place as you. Along the way, the smells range from freshly made pakoras to freshly made cow dung. Oh, and we  had to run when a bull on the sidewalk got a little upset and lunged towards the crowd. A bit of a heart stopper.

On the Ghats, Hindu priests perform the sundown ceremony before hundreds gathered, giving thanks to the Ganges using various symbolic item such as conchs, fire and rose petals to represent and entertain the goddess Ganga.  It is absolutely mesmerizing and an unforgettable experience.

Cremation ceremonies are performed on designated "Burning Ghats", 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, Monsoon or shine. An average of 200 bodies are cremated every day. Bodies are brought to the Ganges by the male members of the families. Women are not allowed to participate because crying is not allowed, and apparently, we can't be trusted not to sob hysterically.  And, as an added bonus, our tears are, apparently, pollutants. So, while the women folk sit at home polluting their living rooms, a team of what can only be described as professional fire starters, from the lowest caste (even though the caste system isn't supposed to exist any longer) weigh each piece of firewood on giant scales. The price of cremation calculated, wood is laid beneath and over the body in a very specific way. This is an important step. If a cremation is not done correctly, the soul of the departed will be disturbed and may come back to haunt living relatives. And no one wants that.  

Photos of the cremation ceremonies are not allowed, understandably. 

Now, here's where it gets a little odd, certainly by North American standards.  The oldest son must visit the Ghat commissioner who is required to barter with the bereaved son over the cost of the matches that will be needed to start the fire. This price varies widely depending on what the commissioner feels the family can afford. Apparently, things can get very heated as the final price is decided (no pun intended).  Only when a price is agreed upon can the cremation take place.  No one knows where this tradition started, or why you would put a mourning family member through this.  It is just the way it is.

It is a very strange and unsettling site to see bodies burning on the Ghats, but after spending two days with Hindi guides, and watching rituals being performed in temples, we have come away with this. Hindus not only accept death as part of life, they embrace it fully ... even seem to look forward to it in a way.  Although they believe in reincarnation, their end game is to NOT come back.  They try to achieve this by evolving through many rebirths (sometimes millions of reincarnations) and doing good deeds until all karmas have been resolved, and they achieve Moksha (or merging back with the Oneness). 

Each morning at sunrise, more pilgrims come down to the Ghats to "take a dip" in the Ganges, partially because they hope it will rid them of their sins and speed up Moksha. However, while pilgrims consider the Ganges waters to be pure, it is anything but. After years of open sewer run off, cremated ashes and various leftovers thrown in, the Ganges is very polluted. This fact, however, doesn't seem to stop anyone. People float in the water, pour the water over their heads, drink the water (!), wash their clothes and apparently blame any illnesses they get from this experience on everything but swimming in the Ganges. Jai, our Guide, who is Hindu, says he plans to achieve Moksha by praying a lot and doing good deeds. He is willing to be reborn for all eternity if it means he will never have to step foot in the Ganges. That probably tells you all you need to know about the state of this river.  

Off to Agra next to witness an iconic palace and a tragic love story.