India burning the dead city. The city of Varanasi is the place where life and death meet. What does the city look like outside the “crematorium zone”

And to end your life path here and thereby break the wheel of Samsara and complete the series of rebirths is the dream of every believer! Varanasi aka Benares and Kashi - the city of light is considered the oldest living city on earth. According to the legends, it was created by Shiva more than 5000 years ago, and based on scientific data, 3000 years. But despite everything written above, for an unprepared traveler, the city can cause a state of confusion or even shock, probably more than any other city in India. The most impressive are the processes of cremation of the dead on the banks of the Ganges.

Varanasi is the oldest city on earth, standing on the banks of the sacred river Ganges. Once he was the same age as Luxor, Babylon and Nineveh. Now only ruins remain of those great metropolises, and Varanasi stands and is considered the oldest living city on Earth.

Maybe he is actually guarded by the great Shiva who created him.

For Hindus, it is difficult to overestimate the importance of this city, every believer should visit here and plunge into the sacred Ganges, at least once in a lifetime. And to die in the holy city is the limit of all desires for an orthodox Hindu. Not surprisingly, many of them consider it the center of the universe.

Another name for Benares is the city of funeral pyres. When the British first came to Benares, they were simply shocked by what was happening. On the ghats along the city's waterfront, bonfires burned corpses. In place of the burnt firebrands thrown into the Ganges, new dead were immediately brought. Campfire sticks mixed unburned human remains with embers. The smell of burning meat and hair hung over the whole city. It was an unreal, huge crematorium, the life of which lived the whole city. After what they saw, the British decided to bring everything to a civilized view, in their understanding of this word. They wanted to move everything away from the city, but met with desperate resistance and indignation of the people. Fearing an uprising, they abandoned their idea and left everything as it was. And to this day in Varanasi, albeit not on such a scale, cremations take place on the banks of the Ganges. Now the main place of cremation is Manikarnia Ghat. Funeral pyres there burn without stopping, and along the narrow streets, stretchers with the dead are constantly brought to these fires. For many, everything that happens may seem like a plot from a horror movie, when a fire with a deceased is disturbed with a stick, an arm or head may fall off a corpse. You can see a dog chewing on a human bone. Or floating on a boat along the Ganges to poke on a floating bloated corpse. According to Hindu concepts, virgins, monks and infants are not cremated, but are "buried" in the Ganges.
Of course, Varanasi is not an unambiguous city and not everyone will understand it. But some come back here again and again. When I was there, I felt an indescribable peace and tranquility. And a touch of eternity.

Varanasi is older than history, older than tradition,
even older than legends and looks twice as old,
than all of them combined.
Mark Twain

Varanasi prices

Food prices: 2 egg omelette 30-50 rupees, chicken dish average 150 rupees, coffee with milk or tea 15-30 rupees, flatbread with cheese 35 rupees, rice with stewed potatoes with spices 90 rupees, bottle of water 2 liters in the store 25 rupees .
On average, a meal per day will cost 300-350 rupees.

Accommodation prices: a bed in a hostel is about 100 rupees, prices for a room in a hostel on the banks of the Ganges are from 150 rupees. Further prices will be higher depending on the level of the hotel. But what is more expensive is not always better, I personally encountered this and moved from a more expensive and less convenient hotel, which was located 1 km from the Ganges, to a cheaper one on the very bank of the river.
Keep in mind that the price of the hotel may be higher if you are taken there by a rickshaw or a taxi driver, as he will receive a commission for this. The best option is not to overpay for accommodation at the expense of a commission, to agree with the owner of the hotel where you are going to live, to meet you at the station.

Transport prices: velo rickshaws from 50 rupees distance from the railway station to the old city. The same distance can cost up to 250 rupees depending on the time and circumstances.

On average, the cost of 1 day of living in Varanasi will be approximately 350 (food) + 200 (accommodation) = 550 rupees - this is without transport.

Photo travel to Varanasi

Varanasi day one

Streets of Varanasi

Almost all the central streets of the city are filled with people, cycle rickshaws, tuk-tuks, cars and buses, and all this moves in one column, with noise and din. Such a congestion of people, vehicles and sounds, for an unprepared person, is simply shocking.

On the central streets of Varanasi, there is movement almost all the time. Around you are a whole bunch of people, cars, animals, colors and sounds. Maybe someone is attracted to such a color, but it lasted me 15 minutes.

I was an eyewitness when two buses almost crushed a man crawling between them. The first desire that I had was to inspect everything that I planned to quickly and get out of this shaman.

But when I settled in a guesthouse on the very bank of the Ganges with a view of the river itself, funeral firewood and the whole neighborhood. I was visited by an incomprehensible calmness and peace with a feeling of touching eternity. And I caught myself thinking that the desire to leave the city was completely gone.

From the side window of my guesthouse there was a view of the rooftops of ancient Benares. Here is the address of this guesthouse: Kashi guest house top restaurant with Ganga view ck9/5, Manikarnika (Burring) Ghat, Varanasi e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You must have JavaScript enabled to view. Room rate in 2012 was 150 rupees. tel: 9305144163 9648993739. You can call and they will come for you. And it’s even better to do this, otherwise local taxi drivers like to bring to other guesthouses in order to get a commission for you, and you will receive the price for housing, taking into account this commission.

There was a cafe in the guesthouse that was not spectacular, but overlooking the Ganges and ancient temples. And besides, not bad food. At that time, there was a pleasant company of young Frenchmen who smoked marijuana, listened to reggae and contemplated the surrounding views of the great city, or simply lay on the couch. There was also a young English woman who smoked in the same way and after a few puffs she would take up a knitting needle and knit something.

Temple on the banks of the Ganges

The first colorful characters I met on the way to the ghats and to the sacred Ganges. In general, there are many interesting personalities in Varanasi. Some of them are real ascetics or servants of their god. And many dress up to make money in a photo with tourists.

On the banks of the Ganges, Hindus bathe, wash things, pray, and cremated corpses are dumped into the river itself. From a certain time here you can earn money on tourists. For many, this river is life.

Eternal city - Varanasi (Benares, Kashi) and its skyscrapers.

Steps on the streets of the old city.

Pilgrim

New Day Prayer.

Big washing.

Funeral firewood on the bank of the Ganges at Manikarnika Ghat. Manikarnika Ghat is considered one of the most sacred ghats (ghats). Cremation processes take place almost constantly. The charred remains are thrown into the river.

Mentor and student.

Boatman.

Ghats of Varanasi.

Here comes the end of another day in the eternal city.

Sunset in Varanasi.

Faithful servant of the Lord.

And this is a very respected woman. There were many people around him who asked him many questions. He answered them with a very important look.

In the evenings in Varanasi at the Dashashwamedh Ghat, a bewitching spectacle takes place. Hindu priests - brahmins, conduct arati. Arati is a candle-lit ritual in which offerings of flowers, fruits, and sweets are made. The sacred ritual expresses the worship of Shiva, the mother of the Ganges, Surya (the sun), Agni (fire), and the entire universe.

Ritual bowls.

The arati ritual is very spectacular, it is visited by a huge number of people, both Indians themselves and tourists. Many take pre-convenient places to take the most successful and beautiful photographs.

Second day in Varanasi

Ghats in Varanasi on the banks of the Ganges, the most visited place by tourists. But despite this, life here goes on as usual. Some wash, some pray, some wash, and some smooth the sari, as in this case. India is good because, despite the strict rules of life, tourists have free access almost everywhere. And it turns out as if you yourself are plunging into this world and living one life with the people around you, and not watching everything from the window of a tourist bus.

Ghats of Varanasi. For many residents of the holy city on the Ganges, the whole life passes. Here they are born, live and it is necessary to go from here on their last journey.

Indian fakir, snake charmer.

And here the cobra decided to "spit" on the magic and spells of the fakir and crawl away in the direction she needed. But it was not there! The snake is an important part of making money for this Indian.

Well, what about a sacred city without sacred animals.

Burial wood.

Here you can clearly see how the funeral firewood is weighed and, apparently, the price for them is discussed. Many do not have enough money to pay for the amount of firewood needed to completely burn the deceased. And then everything that has managed to burn down is dumped into the Ganges.

Scales for funeral firewood.

A significant part of the streets closest to Manikarnika Ghat are filled with firewood for cremations.

Streets of the old city.

On the right is one of the most revered symbols for worship in India, the lingam (male sexual organ) and yoni (female organ). The combination of these two symbols means that the male and female foundations are the eternal and unchanging essence of human existence.

Tired old man.

Local

The modest life of the inhabitants of Benares. A swastika is visible on the wall to the right. The swastika in India is a symbol of life, light, generosity and abundance.

These are the doors that houses in the old city have.

And such old windows in the web are not uncommon.

On the ancient door, you can even see a sign with the address.

Boats in Varanasi are of great importance. This is not only a way of crossing, but also a way of earning money for local residents, they ride tourists along the Ganges. The cost per hour is approximately 150 rupees in 2012.

Dashashwamedh Ghat

Ritual ablutions.

Not only tourists are boating on the Ganges, but the Indians themselves love to do it.

Night fell on Benares.

Night view of Varanasi from the east bank of the Ganges. There are no buildings on the eastern shore and it is believed that there were no buildings at one time. It is considered to be the world where Shiva transports the souls of the dead. It is believed that those who are lucky enough to die here complete the cycle of rebirth and death. For a true Hindu, this is the highest good. Many feel the approach of death specially come here. There are shelters for such people in Varanasi.

The Manikarnika Ghat is considered the main cremation ghat. They look askance at people with a camera there, not to mention the fact that they would freely take a photo. Photography is allowed only by special agreement and for a small fee. Therefore, I had to take photographs at night from the opposite eastern bank of the Ganges.

Panorama of the great city of Varanasi, Benares, Kashi. Cities of life, death and light created by Shiva over 5000 years ago.

Varanasi - the city of the dead

ATTENTION! There are shocking photos. Impressive viewing is not recommended!

Our planet is full of wonderful surprises from nature and ancient civilizations, full of beauty and sights, and you can also find quite unusual, strange, gloomy traditions and rituals on it. Although it should be noted that for us they are strange and scary, and for some - this is their everyday life, this is their culture.

Each of the billion Hindus dreams of dying in Varanasi or burning their body here. The open air crematorium smokes 365 days a year and 24 hours a day. Hundreds of bodies from all over India and abroad come here every day, fly in and burn. The Hindus came up with a good religion - that we, having given up the ends, do not die for good. Vladimir Vysotsky instilled in us these basic knowledge about Hinduism to the chords of his guitar. He sang and enlightened: "you live right - you will be happy in your next life, and if you are stupid like a tree, you will be born a baobab"

Varanasi is an important religious place in the world of Hinduism, a center of pilgrimage for Hindus from all over the world, as ancient as Babylon or Thebes. Here, more than anywhere else, the contradictions of human existence are manifested: life and death, hope and suffering, youth and old age, joy and despair, splendor and poverty. This is a city where there is so much death and life at the same time. It is a city where eternity and existence coexist. This is the best place to understand what India is, its religion and culture.

In the religious geography of Hinduism, Varanasi is the center of the universe. One of the most sacred cities for Hindus serves as a kind of line between physical reality and the eternity of life. Here the gods descend to earth, and a mere mortal achieves bliss. It is a holy place to live and a blessed place to die. This is the best place to achieve bliss.

The fame of Varanasi in Hindu mythology is unparalleled. According to legend, the city was founded by the Hindu god Shiva several thousand years ago, making it one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the country. It is one of the seven sacred cities of the Hindus. In many ways, it embodies the best and worst of India, sometimes horrifying to foreign tourists. However, the scene of pilgrims praying in the rays of the rising sun along the Ganges River, with Hindu temples in the background, is one of the most impressive sights in the world. When traveling through northern India, try not to bypass this ancient city.

Founded a thousand years before the birth of Christ, Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in the world. It has been called by many epithets - "city of temples", "sacred city of India", "religious capital of India", "city of lights", "city of enlightenment" - and only recently its official name was restored, which was first mentioned in the Jataka - an ancient narrative Hindu literature. But many still continue to use the English name Benares, and the pilgrims call it none other than Kashi - that is how the city was called for three thousand years.

The Hindu really believes in the wanderings of the soul, which, after death, moves to other living beings. And he relates to death like and especially, but at the same time ordinary. For the Hindu, death is just one of the stages of samsara, or the endless game of birth and death. And a follower of Hinduism dreams of not being born one day. He strives for moksha to complete the very cycle of rebirths, along with which - for liberation and deliverance from the hardships of the material world. Moksha is practically a synonym for Buddhist nirvana: the highest state, the goal of human aspirations, a certain absolute.

For millennia, Varanasi has been the center of philosophy and theosophy, medicine and education. The English writer Mark Twain, shocked by his visit to Varanasi, wrote: "Benares (old name) is older than history, older than tradition, even older than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together." Many famous and most revered Indian philosophers, poets, writers and musicians have lived in Varanasi. In this glorious city, the classic of Hindi literature Kabir lived, the poet and writer Tulsidas wrote the epic poem of Ramacharitamanas, which became one of the most famous works of Hindi literature, and the Buddha delivered his first sermon in Sarnath, just a few kilometers from Varanasi. Sung by myths and legends, consecrated by religion, it has always attracted a large number of pilgrims and believers since time immemorial.

Varanasi is located between Delhi and Kolkata on the west bank of the Ganges. Every Indian child who has listened to their parents' stories knows that the Ganges is the largest and holiest of all rivers in India. The main reason to visit Varanasi is, of course, to see the Ganges River. The significance of the river for the Hindus is beyond description. It is one of the 20 largest rivers in the world. The Ganges river basin is the most densely populated in the world, with over 400 million people. The Ganges is an important source of irrigation and communication for the millions of Indians who live along the river. Since time immemorial, she has been worshiped as the goddess of the Ganges. Historically, a number of capitals of the former principalities were located on its banks.

The largest cremation ghat in the city is Manikarnika. About 200 bodies are cremated here a day, and funeral pyres are lit day and night. Families bring here the dead who died of natural causes.

Hinduism has given those who profess it a method of guaranteed achievement of moksha. It is enough to die in the sacred Varanasi (formerly - Benares, Kashi. - Approx. Aut.) - and samsara ends. Moksha is coming. At the same time, it is important to note that cheating and throwing yourself under a car in this city is not an option. So moksha is definitely not visible. Even if the Indian did not give up in Varanasi, this city is still able to influence its further existence. If a body is cremated on the banks of the sacred river Ganges in this city, then the karma for the next life is cleared. So Hindus from all over India and the world aspire here - to die and burn.

The Ganges embankment is the most party place in Varanasi. Here are sadhu hermits smeared in soot: the real ones pray and meditate, tourists pester with offers to take pictures for money. Fastidious Europeans are trying not to enter into sewage, fat Americans take pictures of themselves against the backdrop of everything, frightened Japanese walk around in gauze bandages on their faces - they are saved from infections. It is full of rastamans with dreadlocks, freaks, enlightened and pseudo-enlightened, schizos and beggars, masseurs and hashish dealers, artists and other people of all stripes in the world. The incomparable diversity of the crowd.

Despite the abundance of visitors, it does not turn out to be a tourist language to call this city. Varanasi still has its own life, and tourists have absolutely nothing to do with it. Here a corpse is floating along the Ganges, next to it a man washes and beats linen on a stone, someone is brushing his teeth. Almost everyone bathes with happy faces. "Ganges is our mother. You, tourists, do not understand. You laugh that we drink this water. But for us it is sacred," the Indians explain. And indeed - they drink and do not get sick. Native microflora. Although the Discovery channel, when filming a film about Varanasi, handed over samples of this water for research. The verdict of the laboratory is terrible - if one drop does not kill a horse, then it will certainly knock it down. There are more nasty things in that drop than in the list of potentially dangerous infections in the country. But you forget about all this when you get on the shore of burning people.

This is the Manikarnika Ghat, the city's main crematorium. Bodies, bodies and more bodies everywhere. They are waiting for their turn in the fire, of which there are dozens. Burning, smoke, crackling firewood, a chorus of disturbed voices and the phrase endlessly ringing in the air: "Ram nam sagage." An arm stuck out of the fire, a leg showed, and now a head rolled. Sweaty and squinting from the heat, the workers turn over the parts of the body emerging from the fire with bamboo sticks. The feeling is that I got on the set of some kind of "horror movie". Reality is slipping out from under your feet.

Corpse business

From the balconies of the "trump" hotels, the Ganges is visible, and with it the smoke of funeral pyres. I did not want to feel this strange smell all day and night, and I climbed into a less fashionable area, but away from the corpses. "Friend, good camera! Do you want to shoot how people are burned?" rarely, but suggestions are heard from pestering. There is not a single law prohibiting the filming of funeral rites. But at the same time, there is not a single chance to take advantage of the absence of a ban. Selling pseudo filming permits is a business for the caste that controls the cremation. Five to ten dollars for one click of the shutter, and a double - at the same price.

It's impossible to cheat. I had to watch how tourists, out of ignorance, at least simply directed the camera towards the fire and fell under the most severe pressure of the crowd. It was no longer a bidding, but a racket. Special rates for journalists. The approach to each is individual, but for a work permit "in the zone" - up to 2000 euros, and for one photo card up to a hundred dollars. Street mediators always specified my profession and only then started bidding. And who am I? Photo student! Landscapes, flowers and butterflies. You say that - and the price is immediately divine, 200 bucks. But there is no guarantee that with a "filkin's letter" they will not be sent to hell in the end. I continue my search and soon I reach the main one. "Bi-i-i-g boss" - they call him on the waterfront.

Call Sures. With a big belly, in a leather vest, he proudly walks between the fires - he controls the staff, the sale of wood, the collection of proceeds. I also introduce myself to him as a beginner amateur photographer. "Okay, you have 200 dollars, and take off a week," Sures delighted, asked for 100 dollars in advance and showed a sample of "permishin" - an A4 sheet with the inscription a la "I allow it. Boss." A piece of paper for two hundred greenbacks again did not want to buy. "Varanasi City Hall," I said to the tuk-tuk driver. The complex of two-story houses was very reminiscent of a Soviet-era sanatorium. People fuss with papers and stand in lines.

And the petty officials of the city administration, like ours, are slow - they fiddle with each leaf for a long time. I killed half a day, collected a collection of autographs from the big shots of Varanasi and drove to the police headquarters. Law enforcement officers offered to wait for the boss and treated him to tea. From clay pots, as if from a "Ukrainian souvenir" shop. After drinking tea, the policeman smashes the "glitch" on the floor. It turns out that plastic is expensive and not environmentally friendly. But there is a lot of clay in the Ganges and for free. In a street eatery, such a glass, along with tea, even cost me 5 rupees. Hindu - and even cheaper. A few hours later, an audience was held with the chief of police of the city. I decided to use the meeting to the maximum and asked him for a business card. "I only have Hindi!" the man laughed. "I offer an exchange. You tell me in Hindi, I tell you in Ukrainian," I come up with. Now I have in my hands a whole stack of permits and a trump card - the business card of the main man in Varanasi in uniform.

Last shelter

Visitors are frightened staring at the fires from afar. Well-wishers approach them and allegedly disinterestedly initiate them into the history of the burial traditions of India. "The fire takes 400 kilograms of firewood. One kilogram - 400-500 rupees (1 US dollar - 50 Indian rupees - ed.). Help the family of the deceased, donate at least a couple of kilograms of money. People collect money all their lives for the last bonfire" - the tour ends as standard. Sounds convincing, foreigners take out their wallets. And, without suspecting it, they pay for half a fire. After all, the real price of wood is from 4 rupees per kilo. In the evening I come to Manikarnika. Literally a minute later, a man comes running and demands to explain how I dare to expose the lens in a sacred place.

When he sees the documents, he respectfully folds his arms to his chest, bows his head and says: "Welcome! You are our friend. Ask for help." This is 43-year-old Kashi Baba from the highest caste of Brahmins. He has been supervising the cremation process here for 17 years. He says that work gives crazy energy. Hindus really love this place - in the evenings, men sit on the steps and stare at the fires for hours. "We all dream of dying in Varanasi and having our bodies cremated here," they say something like this. Kashi Baba and I also sit down next to each other. It turns out that the bodies began to burn in this place 3500 years ago. Since the fire of the god Shiva did not light up here. It burns even now, it is monitored around the clock, every ritual fire is set on fire from it. Today, between 200 and 400 bodies are reduced to ashes here every day. And not only from all over India. Burning in Varanasi is the last will of many Indian immigrants and even some foreigners. Recently, for example, an elderly American was cremated.

Contrary to tourist fables, cremation is not very expensive. To burn a body would require 300-400 kilograms of wood and up to four hours of time. A kilogram of firewood - from 4 rupees. The entire funeral ceremony can start from 3-4 thousand rupees, or 60-80 dollars. But there is no maximum bar. For the smell, richer people add sandalwood to the fire, a kilogram of which reaches up to 160 dollars. When the Maharajah died in Varanasi, his son ordered a fire made entirely of sandalwood, and scattered emeralds and rubies around. All of them rightfully went to the workers of Manikarnika - people from the Dom-Raja caste.

This is the lowest class of people, the so-called untouchables. Their fate is unclean types of work, which include the burning of corpses. Unlike other untouchables, the Dom-Raja caste has money, as even the "raja" element in the name hints at.

Every day, these people clean the territory, sift and wash ash, coals and burnt soil through a sieve. The task is to find the jewels. Relatives do not have the right to remove them from the deceased. On the contrary, they inform the children of the house-raj that the deceased, say, has a gold chain, a diamond ring and three gold teeth. All this workers will find and sell. At night over the Ganges glow from fires. It is best viewed from the roof of the Manikarnika Ghat's central building. “If you fall, you’ll go right into the fire. It’s convenient,” Kashi says, while I stand on the visor and shoot the panorama. Inside this building - emptiness, darkness and walls smoked for decades.

To be honest, it's creepy. Right on the floor, in the corner on the second floor, sits a shriveled granny. This is Daya Mai. She does not remember her exact age - she says, about 103 years old. Daiya had spent the last 45 of them in this very corner, in a building near the cremation shore. Waiting for death. He wants to die in Varanasi. This woman from Bihar first came here when her husband died. And soon she lost her son and also decided to die. I was in Varanasi for ten days, almost every one of which I met Daiya Mai. Leaning on a stick, in the morning she went out into the street, walked among the piles of firewood, approached the Ganges and again returned to her corner. And so the 46th year in a row.

To burn or not to burn? Manikarnika is not the only place for cremation in the city. Here they burn those who died of natural causes. And a kilometer earlier, on Hari Chandra Ghat, the dead, suicides, victims of accidents are given to the fire. Nearby is an electric crematorium, where beggars who have not collected money for firewood are burned. Although usually in Varanasi there are no problems with funerals even for the poorest. A tree that did not burn out on previous fires is given free of charge to families who do not have enough firewood. In Varanasi, you can always raise money among locals and tourists. After all, helping the family of the deceased is good for karma. But in poor villages there are problems with cremation. Help someone. And a body symbolically burnt and thrown into the Ganges is not uncommon.

In places where dams form in the sacred river, there is even a profession - a collector of corpses. The men row the boat and collect the bodies, even diving into the water when necessary. Nearby, a body tied to a large stone slab is being loaded into a boat. It turns out that not all bodies can be burned. It is forbidden to cremate sadhus, because they have abandoned work, family, sex and civilization, devoting their lives to meditation. Do not burn children under 13 years old, because it is believed that their bodies are like flowers. Accordingly, it is forbidden to burn pregnant women, because there are children inside. You can't cremate a leprosy patient. All these categories of the dead are tied to a stone and drowned in the Ganges.

It is forbidden to cremate those killed by a cobra bite, which is not uncommon in India. It is believed that after the bite of this snake, not death occurs, but a coma. Therefore, a boat is made from a banana tree, where a body wrapped in a film is placed. A sign with the name and home address is attached to it. And let them sail on the Ganges. Sadhus meditating on the shore try to catch such bodies and try to bring them back to life through meditation.

They say successful outcomes are not uncommon. “Four years ago, 300 meters from Manikarnik, a hermit caught and revived the body. The family was so happy that they wanted to make the sadhu rich. But he refused, because if he takes even one rupee, he will lose all his power,” Kashi Baba told me. Animals are not burned yet, because they are symbols of the gods. But what shocked me most of all was the terrible custom that existed until relatively recently - sati. Burning of widows. The husband dies - the wife is obliged to burn in the same fire. This is not a myth or a legend. According to Kashi Baba, this phenomenon was widespread some 90 years ago.

According to textbooks, the burning of widows was banned in 1929. But episodes of sati still happen today. Women cry a lot, so they are forbidden to be near the fire. But literally at the beginning of 2009, an exception was made for the widow from Agra. She wanted to say goodbye to her husband for the last time and asked to come to the fire. There she jumped, and when the fire was already blazing with might and main. The woman was taken out, but she was badly burned and died before the doctors arrived. They were cremated in the same fire as her betrothed.

The reverse side of the Ganges

On the other bank of the Ganges from the noisy Varanasi - desert expanses. Tourists are not recommended to appear there, because sometimes the village chantrap shows aggression. On the opposite side of the Ganges, the villagers wash their clothes, and pilgrims are brought there to bathe. Among the sands, a lone hut made of branches and straw catches the eye. There lives a hermit sadhu with the divine name Ganesh. A man in his 50s moved here from the jungle 16 months ago to perform a puja ritual - burning food in a fire. Like a sacrifice to the gods. He likes to say, with or without reason, "I don't need money - I need my puja." In a year and four months, he burned 1,100,000 coconuts and an impressive amount of butter, fruits, and other foods.

He conducts meditation courses in his hut, which is how he earns for his puja. As for a man from a hut who drinks water from the Ganges, he knows English very well, is very familiar with the products of the National Geographic channel and invites me to write down his mobile number. Previously, Ganesh had a normal life, he still occasionally calls back with his adult daughter and ex-wife: “One day I realized that I no longer want to live in the city, and I don’t need a family. Now I’m in the jungle, in the forest, in the mountains or on the bank of the river.

I don't need money - I need my puja." Contrary to the recommendations for visitors, I often swam to the other side of the Ganges to take a break from the endless noise and annoying crowds. Ganesh recognized me from afar, waved his hand and shouted: "Dima!" But even here , on the deserted bank of the other side of the Ganges, you can suddenly shudder.For example, when you see dogs tearing apart a human body washed ashore by the waves.See, shudder and remember - this is Varanasi, the "city of death."

Process timeline

If a person died in Varanasi, they burn him 5-7 hours after death. The reason for the rush is the heat. The body is washed, massaged with a mixture of honey, yogurt and various oils, and mantras are recited. All this in order to open the 7 chakras. Then wrapped in a large white sheet and decorative fabric. They put it on a stretcher of seven bamboo crossbars - also according to the number of chakras.

Family members carry the body to the Ganges and chant the mantra: "Ram nam saga" - a call for everything to be fine in the next life of this person. The stretcher is dipped into the Ganges. Then the face of the deceased is opened, and relatives pour water five times with their hands. One of the men of the family shaves his head and dresses in white clothes. If the father died, the eldest son does it, if the mother - the youngest son, if the wife - the husband. Set fire to branches from the sacred fire and go around the body with them five times. Therefore, the body goes into the five elements: water, earth, fire, air, heaven.

It is possible to kindle a fire only in a natural way. If a woman has died, her pelvis is not completely burned, if a man is a rib. The shaved man lets this burnt part of the body into the Ganges and extinguishes smoldering coals from a bucket over his left shoulder.

At one time, Varanasi was an academic center, as well as a religious one. Many temples were erected in the city, universities worked and magnificent libraries with texts from Vedic times were opened. However, much was destroyed by the Muslims. Hundreds of temples were destroyed, bonfires with priceless manuscripts burned day and night, people were also destroyed - carriers of priceless ancient culture and knowledge. However, the spirit of the Eternal City could not be defeated. You can still feel it now, walking through the narrow streets of old Varanasi and going down to the ghats (stone steps) on the Ganges River. Ghats are one of the hallmarks of Varanasi (as well as any sacred city for Hindus), as well as an important sacred place for millions of believers. They serve both for ritual washing and for burning the dead. In general, the ghats are the most popular place for the residents of Varanasi - on these steps they burn corpses, laugh, pray, die, walk, get to know each other, chat on the phone or just sit.

This city makes the strongest impression on travelers in India, despite the fact that Varanasi does not look like a "tourist's holiday" at all. Life in this sacred city is surprisingly closely intertwined with death; It is considered that it is very honorable to die in Varanasi, on the banks of the Ganges River. That is why sick and old Hindus by the thousands strive to Varanasi from all over the country to meet their death here and free themselves from the hustle and bustle of life.

Not far from Varanasi is Sarnath - the place where the Buddha preached. It is said that the tree growing in this place is planted from the seeds of the Bodhi tree, the same under which the Buddha received self-realization.

The embankment of the river itself is a kind of huge temple, the service in which never stops - some pray, others meditate, others do yoga. The bodies of the dead are burned here. It is noteworthy that only the bodies of those who require ritual purification by fire are subjected to burning; and therefore the bodies of sacred animals (cows), monks, pregnant women are considered already purified by suffering and they are thrown into the Ganges without cremation. This is the main purpose of the ancient city of Varanasi - to give people the opportunity to free themselves from everything perishable.

And yet, despite the incomprehensible, and even more sad mission for non-Hindus, this city is a very real city with a million inhabitants. In the cramped and narrow streets, people's voices are heard, music is heard, the cries of merchants are heard. Shops are open everywhere where you can buy souvenirs from ancient vessels to saris embroidered with silver and gold.

The city, although it cannot be called clean, still does not suffer from dirt and overcrowding as much as other Indian large cities - Bombay or Calcutta. However, for Europeans and Americans, the street of any Indian city resembles a giant anthill - there is a cacophony of horns, bicycle bells and screams around, and even on a cycle rickshaw it turns out to be very difficult to squeeze through the narrow, albeit central streets.

Deceased children under the age of 10, the bodies of pregnant women and those with smallpox are not cremated. A stone is tied to their body and thrown from a boat into the middle of the Ganges River. The same fate awaits those whose relatives cannot afford to buy enough timber. Cremation at the stake costs a lot of money and not everyone can afford it. Sometimes the purchased wood is not always enough for cremation, and then the half-burnt remains of the body are dumped into the river. It is quite common to see the charred remains of the bodies of the dead floating in the river. The city is estimated to bury about 45,000 uncremated bodies at the bottom of the river each year, adding to the toxicity of its already heavily polluted water. What shocks visiting Western tourists seems quite natural for Hindus. Unlike Europe, where everything happens behind closed doors, in India every aspect of life is visible on the streets, whether it's cremation, laundry, bathing or cooking.

The Ganges River has somehow miraculously been able to purify itself for many centuries. Even 100 years ago, germs such as cholera could not survive in its sacred waters. Unfortunately, today the Ganges is one of the five most polluted rivers in the world. First of all, because of the toxic substances discharged by industrial enterprises along the riverbed. The level of contamination by some microbes exceeds the permissible values ​​hundreds of times. Visiting tourists are struck by the complete lack of hygiene. Ashes of the dead, sewerage and donations float past the faithful as they bathe and perform a cleansing ceremony in the water. From a medical point of view, bathing in water in which corpses decompose carries the risk of infections with numerous diseases, including hepatitis. It's kind of a miracle that so many people dip and drink water every day and feel no harm. Some tourists even join the pilgrims.

Numerous cities located on the Ganges also contribute to the pollution of the river. According to the results of the report of the Central Office for the Supervision of Environmental Pollution, it follows that the cities of India recycle only about 30% of all their sewage. Now the Ganges, like many other rivers in India, is extremely clogged. It contains more sewage than fresh water. And along its banks, industrial waste and the remains of cremated

Thus, the First City on Earth (as Varanasi is called in India) produces a strange and incredibly strong, indelible impact on tourists - it is impossible to compare it with anything, just as religions, peoples and cultures cannot be compared.

Based on materials

Dmitry Komarov

http://tourist-area.com, http://www.taringa.net, yaoayao.livejournal.com, http://masterok.livejournal.com/

Site materials used: http://infoglaz.ru/?p=14228

Varanasi- one of ancient cities of the world and most sacred place for the Indians. Varanasi no wonder they call City of the Dead- every day they bring to this city, burn and drown in the Ganges River hundreds of dead bodies.

Most unpleasant the city we visited in India.

Varanasi with population in 1 500 000 man is the center of Indian pilgrimage. Millions of Hindus annually make a religious pilgrimage to the city of the dead - Varanasi with obligatory ablution in sacred river Ganges. A huge number of white tourists come here to renounce worldly problems, imbued with spirituality, and achieve peace of mind. This city is of great importance for Buddhists, because it is in the suburbs of Varanasi - Sarnath - Buddha, according to legend, read my first after enlightenment sermon five first followers.

get there before Varanasi can be done in several ways:

• on the airplane(not only from Indian cities, but also directly from other countries, since the airport in this city is international);
• on the bus from neighboring cities;
• on the train. From or Calcutta.

Train from Delhi to Varanasi

The best way, in our opinion, is a train. Not as expensive as a plane and not as long and tiring as a bus. We were on the train — Varanasi. Train tickets are the best to buy in advance, because this direction is quite popular and they may not be available for the next few dates. It is best to purchase them online. You can read how to do this in our. Tickets cost us 840 Indian rupees with all taxes, and the trip itself took 17 hours in a slipper car.

The Ganges River and its waters

Undoubtedly the main attraction Varanasi is the river Ganges and its embankments Ghats.

Ganges- one of longest rivers(2700 km) in South Asia and definitely one of the dirtiest. Dropped here drains industrial enterprises, human sewage, waste life, unburned bodies corpses cremated on its shore. Moreover, some categories of the dead do not burn. To them tie a stone and dumped into the long-suffering river. Despite this, Indians bathe in her wash themselves and even drink. gang for them sacred she is for them mother. Hindus convinced that her waters wash away sins, and therefore she is a priori pure and, moreover, safe but also has a healing effect. But do not think that the river does not have any negative effect on the Hindus themselves, not to mention unprepared foreigners. It has, and how, especially on weak children's organisms. According to the World Health Organization, from 1.5 million Indian children, which annually are dying from diseases transmitted through water, 30-40% on Ganga account. It's just that most Hindus don't associate feeling unwell with swimming in a river. And those who bind still perform rituals of washing, because it is sacred, because religion requires it.

Of course, we did not swim in the river, but we rode a boat on its waters. Viewing the city from here is much more pleasant than pushing through the narrow streets of Varanasi. And on the other side of the river for 20 rupees you can ride horses.

Ghats of Varanasi

Embankment of the Ganges consists of steps extending for several kilometers and called Ghatami. Ghats serve for ritual ceremonies. Most of them are used for swimming in the river (as well as domestic needs, such as washing, washing, and in general for anything), two of them occur cremation rites.

Everyone devout Hindu dreams die in Varanasi and be cremated on the banks of the sacred Ganges, because then he is guaranteed will complete cycle rebirths and reach the highest state - moksha. It is believed that the fire cleanses soul deceased, but there are categories of the dead who are already clean, so they do not need to be burned. They are just thrown with a stone into the river. These include monks who renounced worldly life and devoted themselves to prayers and meditations, children, pregnant women (because inside baby). They also don't cremate the dead. cobra bite. It is believed that they don't die, but fall in a coma. They are wrapped in cling film, placed on a banana tree raft, a note with name and address attached, and floated down the Ganges in the hope that a monk meditating on the shore will catch and resurrect the sleeping.

In Varanasi, the city of the dead, there are two Ghata where they are cremated by fire, but there is more electric crematorium(not so sacred and honorable), for the poor who have absolutely no money for firewood. Cremations happen all the time, 24 hours a day.

On a couple of others Ghats daily for dawn and on the sunset held Ganga Arati ceremony. This is how Hindus pay tribute mother ganga. The ceremony is held five brahmins(since morning - seven). They burn incense sticks, sing, manipulate burning bowls. At the end of the ceremony, many people lower baskets with burning candles into the water, while making a wish.

Our impressions of Varanasi

As for our impressions from Varanasi, the city of the dead, then we have more of them negative than neutral ones. Even if we do not take into account that we arrived here at the very hot season and died from the heat - the city is not conducive. Highly close, filthy and crowded. On the streets, where you can reach out with your hands to two houses opposite each other, crowds of Indians manage to walk, motorcycles ride and cows shit. Garbage almost every piece of land is covered and everywhere stinks terribly. Not to say that these are all amazing phenomena for India as a whole, but in Varanasi this is more and more pronounced and crosses the line of common sense.

One has to be an extremely biased pseudo-super-spiritual person in order to find at least something spiritual, sublime and cosmic in all this obscurantism.

We spent 4 days here, wandered around the city, rafted down the Ganges, watched the cremation, various rituals and ceremonies, tried to find at least something positive, but all in vain. However, there was one pleasant moment. It's dawn on the river. So clean, beautiful, calm, so inconsistent with everything that happens around ...

Varanasi- the city of the dead, the main city of the Hindu pilgrimage in the northeastern region of India.

This is a kind of Vatican for Hindus, the center of Vedic wisdom and philosophy. Varanasi is considered the holiest place in Hindu teachings, as well as one of the oldest cities in the world.

Varanasi on the map of India

One of the most ancient cities in the world is located in a similar ancient country on the planet -.

Where is?

The city of Varanasi is located in the northeast of India, in the heart of the Ganges valley. Administratively, the area belongs to the state Uttar Pradesh.

The Varanasi agglomeration has about one and a half thousand square kilometers.

The city of the dead is located at the highest point between Ganges and Varuna. Despite the fact that the city stands on the banks of the Ganges River, the area here is quite dry and comfortable for visiting and building settlements.

How to get there?

It is possible to reach Varanasi several ways:

• on the– the city has an international airport, so you can get there not only from all parts of India, but also from other countries;
• on the bus or car from different cities of the country;
• by train from New Delhi or Calcutta.

In the 18th century the city was the center of an autonomous kingdom Kashi, whose emperors came from the ancient Narayan dynasty. Then the kingdom came under the projecting of the British Empire and lost the status of an autonomous state.

In 1897 it happened here sepoy uprising, which ended in massacre by the British army. In 1910, a new state was created, to which the holy city adjoined administratively.

Attractions

Varanasi is a shrine not only for Buddhists, but also for Muslims and Christians. The main activity of tourists and pilgrims is concentrated along left bank river Ganges.

Here are the so-called ghats- These are stone structures descending directly to the water, intended for ablution and various religious rituals. In total, there are 84 ghats here, the most popular of them are the following:

1. Assi;
2. Kedar;
3. Panchaganga;
4. Desashwamedh;
5. Manikarnika.

For several centuries, about a thousand Hindu shrines were built in Varanasi.

Older ones were not preserved due to the attacks of the Muslim army. The most famous is the temple Kashi Vishwanath(in translation means "temple of gold"), dedicated to the god Shiva. The roof of the temple is indeed covered with 800 kg of pure gold.

erected nearby Goddess Annapurna temple, the worship of which protects a person from poverty and hunger. Also a famous temple is Durgakund (translated as “monkey temple”), the walls of which are covered with red paint.

Varanasi is a place of worship and for Buddhists, because it is believed that it was here that the Buddha gave his first speech after achieving enlightenment. There are shrines of Buddhism, several temples and schools where young monks study.

Varanasi consists mostly of narrow streets called gali. As a rule, such galleys are polluted and dirty water from household waste and feces flows over their surface. Therefore, the street is filled with stuffiness and not quite a pleasant smell. The width of some streets is so narrow that they can only be passed on foot or on a moped.

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Several streets are combined into a kind of quarter, called mahalla. Bazaars are often formed in them - these are extensive points for trading certain goods.

Several routes for religious pilgrims are laid in the vicinity of the city - such routes are traditionally called yatras. The pilgrims traverse the route barefoot and in absolute silence, eating only once a day and not using any devices to protect themselves from rain or the scorching sun.

This is a rather difficult test, but after completing the pilgrimage, a person rises one step higher on the path of enlightenment of the spirit and body.

city ​​of funeral pyres

One of the names of the city Mahasmassana, literally translated as "large burial place". Indeed, in Varanasi, for a thousand years, a large fire has been burning without ceasing, in which it is customary to burn the bodies of dead people.

local customs

According to local customs, any pilgrim must pass washing ritual in the Ganges River, which can hardly be called clean. Every day, all the sewage of the city flows into it, as well as local household feces of people living on the shore.

In this water, people wash their clothes and bathe, and it also serves as a place for the waste of the city's sewerage.

The pilgrim must also visit shiva temple, where fire burns tirelessly, and bring a sacrifice to God in the form of a ritual burning of some food or clothing. It is believed that the flame from the fire cleanses the souls of all people that are nearby.

Shocking sights

One of the most shocking sights for a European tourist is rite of cremation. From all over India, believers in Shiva and in life after death, people carry the bodies of their dead relatives to burn them on a huge fire. Such an event is considered as a gift of worship to Shiva and a successful rebirth of the deceased in another life.

Cremation takes place on two ghats - Manikarnike and Harishchandra. The latter has an electric cremation apparatus, although it is little used due to the high price of the rite.

After death the human body bathed in the river Ganges where all his relatives go through the same ritual. All the hair is cut from the deceased, except for one strand, the body is washed, rubbed with oils and incense, wrapped in a shroud of white silk.

The body is carried on a stretcher to a prepared place and placed where the firewood has already been stacked, having previously removed the expensive shroud, which is subsequently washed in the same river. The eldest of the men of the family sets fire to the fire, going around it five times in a clockwise direction.

The burning process lasts about three hours, but not all the dead are subjected to such a ritual. The bodies of children under three years of age, pregnant women and those who died from the epidemic are not burned - their corpses are wrapped in a shroud, taken to the middle of the river and lowered into the water with some kind of cargo so that the dead person does not float.

Real horror can be seen when the body does not burn out and its semi-charred lowered into the water. This is because some families cannot afford to buy enough firewood to completely burn the body.

Another shocking phenomenon of Varanasi are aghori- these are representatives of an ancient religious cult, whose duty is to save their like-minded people from the concepts of good-bad, disgusting-pleasant, tasty-nasty, and so on. Aghori, or fearless:

• smear your body ashes from cremation fires;
• collect skulls of people;
• are engaged cannibalism corpses fished out of the Ganges River.

Also in the city of Varanasi there is such a phenomenon as clingy drug dealers.

For the most part, they are like beggars selling hallucinogens, which, by the way, are popular among worshipers of various cults.

Watch the fascinating edition of the TV show "Heads and Tails" about the city of the dead Varanasi in this video: