Varanasi is the chilling city of the dead. Varanasi in India - the city of funeral pyres Varanasi is shocking

वाराणसी , vārāṇasī IAST [ʋaːɾaːɳəsiː] (inf.)) - lit. "between two rivers"; Benares(English) Benares, ) or Banaras(English) Banaras, Hindi बनारस, Urdu بنارس , Banāras (inf.)) or Porridge English Kashi, Hindi काशी, Urdu کاشی , Kāśī (inf.)) — main city region of the same name in northeastern India (Uttar Pradesh) is a city that has the same meaning for Hindus as the Vatican for Catholics (ESBE calls it: “ Rome of the Hindus"), the center of Brahmanical learning. Considered a holy city for Buddhists and Jains, the holiest place in the world in Hinduism (like the center of the Earth in Hindu cosmology). One of the oldest cities in the world and possibly the oldest in India.

masterok :

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, dark traditions and rituals. Although it should be noted that for us they are strange and scary, but for some it 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 when we give up, we don’t die for good. Vladimir Vysotsky instilled in us this basic knowledge about Hinduism to the chords of his guitar. He sang and enlightened: “If you live correctly, 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 site in the world of Hinduism, a center of pilgrimage for Hindus from all over the world, as ancient as Babylon or Thebes. Here, more strongly 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 in which there is so much death and life at the same time. This is a city in which eternity and existence coexist. This 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 border 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.

Varanasi's prominence 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 holy cities of the Hindus. In many ways, he embodies the best and worst aspects of India, sometimes horrifying to foreign tourists. However, the scenes of pilgrims saying prayers in the rays of the rising sun by the Ganges River, with Hindu temples in the background, is one of the most impressive sights in the world. Traveling around northern India, try not to ignore this ancient city.

Founded a thousand years before Christ, Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in the world. It was called by many epithets - “city of temples”, “sacred city of India”, “religious capital of India”, “city of lights”, “city of enlightenment” - and only very recently its official name, first mentioned in the Jataka - an ancient narrative, was restored Hindu literature. But many still continue to use English name Benares, and pilgrims call it nothing more than Kashi - this is what the city has been called for three thousand years.

The Hindu truly believes in the wanderings of the soul, which after death moves into other living beings. And he treats death in a kind of special way, but at the same time, in an ordinary way. For a Hindu, death is just one stage of samsara, or the endless game of birth and death. And an adherent of Hinduism also dreams of one day not being born. He strives for moksha - the completion of that very cycle of rebirth, along with which - for liberation and deliverance from the hardships of the material world. Moksha is practically synonymous with Buddhist nirvana: the highest state, the goal of human aspirations, a certain absolute.

ATTENTION!

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

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

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

Hinduism has given those who practice it a method of guaranteed attainment of moksha. It is enough to die in sacred Varanasi (formerly Benares, Kashi - author's note) - and samsara ends. Moksha is coming. It is important to note that being cunning and throwing yourself under a car in this city is not an option. So you definitely won’t see moksha. Even if an Indian did not die in Varanasi, this city is still capable of influencing his further existence. If you cremate the body on the banks of the sacred Ganges River in this city, then the karma for the next life is cleared. So Hindus from all over India and the world come here to die and burn.

The Ganges embankment is the most party place in Varanasi. Here are the hermit sadhus smeared in soot: the real ones pray and meditate, the tourist ones pester with offers to be photographed for money. Disdainful European women are trying not to step into sewage, fat American women are filming themselves in front of everything, frightened Japanese are walking around with gauze bandages on their faces - they are saving themselves from infections. It's full of Rastafarians with dreadlocks, freaks, enlightened and pseudo-enlightened people, schizos and beggars, massage therapists and hashish dealers, artists and other people of every stripe in the world. The diversity of the crowd is incomparable.

Dead roads, a dead tuk-tuk, no light, 350 rupees, an hour of time and another dream fulfilled. Varanasi, aka Benares, aka Koshi - city ​​of the dead and one of the oldest cities human civilization- meet me!

To be honest, reading other people's reports, I formed, if not a terrible, then at least an ominous idea about this city. This is absolutely not true, the smile did not leave my face 24 hours a day for all 4 days of my stay.

Firstly, the “horror” is diluted with the familiar Indian reality:

Children, forced from a young age to fight for life, have not yet learned to hate.

Secondly, Hinduism has a completely different attitude towards death. Life is just a journey from the creator Brahma to the destroyer Shiva, and death is a return to the beginning of the path and so on endlessly (almost) in a circle. Almost - because Varanasi is a sacred city, simply by dying here you can free yourself from the wheel of Samsara, that is, the cycle of rebirth, which is what everyone strives for. That's why a lot of homeless people, old people and cripples flock here to old age. The number of freaks and unknown characters really makes you want to laugh out loud!

Even the local homeless man was a little freaked out by what was happening:

A line of beggars with jars will visually accompany you everywhere.

How about ominous?

Streets of the old city. Trade, hundreds of homeless people, religion, noise, saris, blissful cows and, of course, the signature mix of smells of flowers, sweat, urine and spices - all this awaits you in atrophied quantities on the streets of ancient Varanasi. Here life itself meets death.

There's a tourniquet here

So why the “city of the dead”? The answer is simple. Varanasi is not only the holiest city of Hinduism, it is also a 24-hour crematorium in the fresh (well, fresh...) air. Cremated bodies are burned 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and it is a very profitable business. To be burned in Varanasi means to get all the possible goodies provided for by religion; there is nothing cooler in the life of a Hindu!

How and where do they tourniquet? Varanasi is a city of ghats. The ghats are the former palaces of the rulers of India, which enshrouded the sacred Ganges River in a crescent moon and later became public knowledge. There are two special ghats where the crematoriums are located. I won’t show them (I’m not interested in filming them, go to Google for perversions, but there’s not much interesting there). If you really want to imagine a crematorium, then substitute in the photo below a large pile of firewood with charred legs sticking out of it:

All the dirty work is done by the untouchables - the lowest caste of Hinduism, essentially these are human slaves. Pregnant women and children cannot be burned - their bodies are simply thrown into the water (to the fish). The ashes from the burnt body (and it burns in three to four hours) and the remains are also thrown into the river. Well, is it good?

Panoramas of the ghats and the city:

Or so :-) The swastika is an important attribute of Hinduism, and it is everywhere. This sacred symbol was around centuries before it was negatively popularized by the Nazis.

Ghats and entertainment

One of the most beautiful and popular ghats is Kedar Ghat.

He is from afar - the engine is in full swing!

The most popular attraction is the boat ride on the Ganges River. The sunset view is amazing and totally zen in the process! And every now and then bandages float along the river (those that entangle women and children when they are thrown overboard)...

As night approaches, the stubborn yellow light comes on, and you completely lose the sense of the reality of what is happening.

After sunset, every day there is some kind of show, which is a must-have when visiting Varanasi. It sucks! Boats gather near one of the ghats and hundreds of people watch the most boring performance from the water. It was so boring that I turned my boatman around long before it was over.

All the garbage of the city is poured into the river, the works of the crematorium also into the river. And now for something sweet - since the river is holy, Hindus happily swim in it! Moreover, there is a religious obligation - every Hindu must take a bath in the Ganges at least once in his life, preferably in Varanasi. This is such a concentrate of trash that there will be a separate post just about it.

Typical city street: Hindu, cow pat, dog/goat/pig/cow and a lot of garbage. By the way, meet Rico, my local guide, who led a personal tour for 6 hours and told me everything, everything, everything that was possible. Rico is a cool guide and the owner of a sports motorcycle (with a non-working speedometer, of course), however, maneuvering through such streets through cows is scary, even if you have good experience in riding a two-wheeler.

The movement does not end here; it boils here almost 24/7. True, the movement is absolutely stupid and useless, in a nutshell it is the wheel of samsara of a couple of bucks (the cycle of a couple of bucks flowing from pocket to pocket) and religion.

And the religion is very beautiful and walking along the streets of the old city is a pleasure (at the same time you can become a champion in flatbread jumping).

You sit in a cafe, eat lassi... and then there are joyful screams like a cheerleading team at a football game - oops, another body has been carried away. The brain finally takes a break from the visual image around it.

In general, food is fun - you take street food, take a bite, and next to them they carry a cremated one again... They won’t let you get bored!

They say that being killed by a cow is great luck; you will be reborn into a higher caste. So close, but, sorry, guys, I already have everything great and big plans :-)

Panorama of the city of the dead highest point:

Pay attention to the right bank - it is uninhabited; according to legend, the kingdom of the dead is located there.

But the sun here is evil and the sunsets and sunrises are simply crazy, especially the strip of sun on the water, I’ve never seen anything like this...

Psst, boy...how about a little Varanasi?

Varanasi - the city of the dead (Warning, there are shocking photos, viewing is not recommended for sensitive people)

ATTENTION! There are shocking photos. Viewing is not recommended for the impressionable!

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, dark traditions and rituals. Although it should be noted that for us they are strange and scary, but for some it 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 when we give up, we don’t die for good. Vladimir Vysotsky instilled in us this basic knowledge about Hinduism to the chords of his guitar. He sang and enlightened: “If you live correctly, 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 site in the world of Hinduism, a center of pilgrimage for Hindus from all over the world, as ancient as Babylon or Thebes. Here, more strongly 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 in which there is so much death and life at the same time. This is a city in which eternity and existence coexist. This is the best place to understand what India is like, 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 border 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.

Varanasi's prominence 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 holy cities of the Hindus. In many ways, he embodies the best and worst aspects of India, sometimes horrifying to foreign tourists. However, the scenes of pilgrims saying prayers in the rays of the rising sun by 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 miss this ancient city.

Founded a thousand years before Christ, Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in the world. It was called by many epithets - “city of temples”, “sacred city of India”, “religious capital of India”, “city of lights”, “city of enlightenment” - and only very recently its official name, first mentioned in the Jataka - an ancient narrative, was restored Hindu literature. But many still continue to use the English name Benares, and pilgrims call it nothing more than Kashi - this is what the city was called for three thousand years.

The Hindu truly believes in the wanderings of the soul, which after death moves into other living beings. And he treats death in a kind of special way, but at the same time, in an ordinary way. For a Hindu, death is just one stage of samsara, or the endless game of birth and death. And an adherent of Hinduism also dreams of one day not being born. He strives for moksha, the completion of that very cycle of rebirth, along with which he strives for liberation and deliverance from the hardships of the material world. Moksha is practically synonymous with Buddhist nirvana: the highest state, the goal of human aspirations, a certain absolute.

For thousands of years, Varanasi has been a center of philosophy and theosophy, medicine and education. The English writer Mark Twain, shocked by his visit to Varanasi, wrote: “Benares (the old name) is older than history, older than tradition, older even than the legends and looks twice as old as all of them put together.” Many famous and most revered Indian philosophers, poets, writers and musicians have resided in Varanasi. In this glorious city lived the classic of Hindi literature Kabir, the singer and writer Tulsidas wrote the epic poem Ramacharitamanas, which became one of the most famous works of literature in the Hindi language, and Buddha delivered his first sermon in Sarnath, just a few kilometers from Varanasi. Sung by myths and legends, sanctified 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 western bank of the Ganges. Every Indian child who has listened to the stories of his parents knows that the Ganges is the largest and holiest of all the rivers in India. The main reason to visit Varanasi is, of course, to see the Ganges River. The significance of the river for 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 a population of over 400 million people. The Ganga is an important source of irrigation and communication for millions of Indians living along the riverbed. Since time immemorial she has been worshiped as the goddess Ganga. Historically, a number of capitals of former principalities were located on its banks.

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

Hinduism has given those who practice it a method of guaranteed attainment of moksha. It is enough to die in sacred Varanasi (formerly Benares, Kashi - author's note) - and samsara ends. Moksha is coming. It is important to note that being cunning and throwing yourself under a car in this city is not an option. So you definitely won’t see moksha. Even if an Indian did not die in Varanasi, this city is still capable of influencing his further existence. If you cremate the body on the banks of the sacred Ganges River in this city, then the karma for the next life is cleared. So Hindus from all over India and the world come here to die and burn.

The Ganges embankment is the most party place in Varanasi. Here are hermit sadhus smeared in soot: the real ones pray and meditate, the tourist ones pester with offers to take pictures for money. Disdainful European women are trying not to step into sewage, fat American women are filming themselves in front of everything, frightened Japanese are walking around with gauze bandages on their faces - they are saving themselves from infections. It's full of Rastafarians with dreadlocks, freaks, enlightened and pseudo-enlightened people, schizos and beggars, massage therapists and hashish dealers, artists and other people of every stripe in the world. The diversity of the crowd is incomparable.

Despite the abundance of visitors, it’s difficult to call this city a tourist city. Varanasi still has its own life, and tourists have absolutely nothing to do with it. Here is a corpse floating along the Ganges, a man nearby is washing and beating clothes on a stone, someone is brushing his teeth. Almost everyone swims with happy faces. “The Ganges is our mother. You tourists don’t understand. You laugh that we drink this water. But for us it is sacred,” the Hindus explain. And indeed, they drink and don’t get sick. Native microflora. Although the Discovery Channel, when making a film about Varanasi, submitted samples of this water for research. The laboratory's verdict is terrible - one drop will, if not kill a horse, then certainly cripple it. There is more nastiness in that drop than on the list of potentially dangerous infections in the country. But you forget about all this when you find yourself on the shore of burning people.

This is Manikarnika Ghat - the main crematorium of the city. There are bodies, bodies and more bodies everywhere. There are dozens of them waiting for their turn at the fire. Burning, smoke, crackling firewood, a chorus of concerned voices and the phrase endlessly ringing in the air: “Ram nam sagage.” A hand stuck out of the fire, a leg appeared, and now a head rolled. The workers, sweating and squinting from the heat, use bamboo sticks to turn over body parts emerging from the fire. I felt like I was on the set of some kind of horror movie. Reality disappears from under your feet.

Business on corpses

From the balconies of the “trump” hotels you can see the Ganges, and with it the smoke of funeral pyres. I didn’t want to smell this strange smell all day long, so I moved to a less fashionable area, and away from the corpses. “Friend, good camera! Do you want to film how people are burned?” Rarely, but offers from pesters are heard. There is not a single law prohibiting filming funeral rites. But at the same time, there is not a single chance to take advantage of the absence of a ban. Selling pseudo-film permits is a business for the caste that controls cremation. Five to ten dollars for one click of the shutter, and a double is the same price.

It's impossible to cheat. I had to watch how tourists, out of ignorance, even simply pointed the camera towards the fire and came under the most severe pressure of the crowd. These were no longer trades, but racketeering. There are special rates for journalists. The approach to everyone is individual, but for a permit to work “in the zone” - up to 2000 euros, and for one photo card up to a hundred dollars. Street brokers always clarified my profession and only then started bidding. Who am I? Amateur photography student! Landscapes, flowers and butterflies. You say this - and the price is immediately divine, 200 bucks. But there is no guarantee that with a “filka certificate” they will not end up being sent to hell. I continue my search and soon find the main one. “B-i-i-g boss,” they call him on the embankment.

Name is Sures. With a big belly and a leather vest, he proudly walks between the fires - supervising the staff, the sale of wood, and the collection of proceeds. I also introduce myself to him as a novice amateur photographer. “Okay, you have 200 dollars, and rent for a week,” Sures delighted, asked for 100 dollars in advance and showed a sample of the “permishin” - an A4 piece of paper with the inscription a la “I allow it. Boss.” I didn’t want to buy a piece of paper for two hundred greenbacks again. “To 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 are fussing with papers and standing in lines.

And small officials of the city administration, like ours, are sluggish - they spend a long time fiddling with each leaf. I killed half a day, collected a collection of autographs from the big shots of Varanasi and went to the police headquarters. Law enforcement officers offered to wait for the boss and treated him to tea. Made from clay pots, as if from a Ukrainian souvenir shop. After drinking tea, the policeman smashes the ice cream 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 it is free. At a street eatery, such a glass along with tea even cost me 5 rupees. For an Indian it’s even cheaper. A few hours later, an audience was held with the city police chief. I decided to make the most of the meeting and asked him for a business card. "I only have it in 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 uniform in Varanasi.

Last refuge

Visitors stare in fear at the fires from afar. Well-wishers approach them and supposedly unselfishly initiate them into the history of Indian funeral traditions. "A fire takes 400 kilograms of firewood. One kilogram is 400-500 rupees (1 US dollar - 50 Indian rupees - author's note). Help the family of the deceased, donate money for at least a couple of kilograms. People spend their entire lives collecting money for the last "bonfire" - the excursion ends as standard. It sounds convincing, foreigners take out their wallets. And, without suspecting it, they pay for half the 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 my lens in a sacred place.

When he sees the documents, he respectfully folds his hands 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 overseeing the cremation process here for 17 years. He says work gives him 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 bodies began to be burned in this very place 3,500 years ago. Since the fire of the god Shiva was not lit 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 wish of many immigrant Hindus 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, it will take 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. Richer people add sandalwood to the fire for scent, a kilogram of which reaches up to $160. When the Maharaja 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.

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

Every day these people clean the area, sift and wash through a sieve ash, coals and burnt soil. The task is to find the jewelry. Relatives do not have the right to remove them from the deceased. On the contrary, the boys of the raja house are told that the deceased has, say, a gold chain, a diamond ring and three gold teeth. The workers will find and sell all this. At night there is a glow from fires over the Ganges. The best way to view it is from the roof of the central building, Manikarnika Ghat. “If you fall, you’ll fall straight into the fire. It’s convenient,” Kashi argues, while I stand on the canopy and take a panorama. Inside this building there is emptiness, darkness and walls smoked for decades.

I'll be honest - it's creepy. A wizened granny sits right on the floor, in the corner on the second floor. This is Daya Mai. She doesn’t remember her exact age - she says about 103 years old. Daya spent the last 45 of them in this very corner, in a building near the cremation bank. 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 day of which I met Daya Mai. Leaning on a stick, in the morning she would go out into the street, walk between the stacks of firewood, approach the Ganges and return to her corner again. And so for the 46th year in a row.

To burn or not to burn? Manikarnika is not the only cremation place in the city. Here they burn those who die a natural death. And a kilometer earlier, on Hari Chandra Ghat, the dead, suicides, and accident victims are being set on fire. Nearby is an electric crematorium where beggars who have not raised money for firewood are burned. Although usually in Varanasi even the poorest have no problems with funerals. Wood that did not burn out in 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. There is no one to help. And a body symbolically burned and thrown into the Ganges is not uncommon.

In places where dams form in the sacred river, there is even a profession - collecting corpses. The men sail the boat and collect the bodies, even diving into the water if 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 abandoned work, family, sex and civilization, devoting their lives to meditation. Children under 13 are not burned, because it is believed that their bodies are like flowers. Accordingly, it is forbidden to set fire to pregnant women, because there are children inside. It is not possible to cremate a person with leprosy. All these categories of deceased 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 coma. Therefore, a boat is made from a banana tree, where the body wrapped in film is placed. A sign with your name and home address is attached to it. And they set 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 Manikarnika, 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 took even one rupee, he would lose all his power,” Kashi Baba told me. Animals are not yet burned, because they are symbols of the gods. But what shocked me most of all was the terrible custom that existed until relatively recently - sati. Widow burning. When a husband dies, the wife must burn in the same fire. This is not a myth or a legend. According to Kashi Baba, this phenomenon was common some 90 years ago.

According to textbooks, widow burning 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 a widow from Agra. She wanted last time to say goodbye to her husband and asked to come to the fire. I jumped there, and when the fire was already burning with might and main. They rescued the woman, but she was badly burned and died before the doctors arrived. She was cremated in the same pyre as her betrothed.

The other side of the Ganges

On the other bank of the Ganges from the bustling Varanasi there are deserted expanses. Tourists are not recommended to appear there, because sometimes the village shantrap shows aggression. On the opposite side of the Ganges, villagers wash clothes, and pilgrims are brought there to bathe. Among the sands, a lonely hut made of branches and straw catches your 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 the 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 oil, fruit and other products.

He conducts meditation courses in his hut, which is how he earns money for his puja. For a man from a hut who drinks water from the Ganges, he speaks great English, is well acquainted 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 his adult daughter and ex-wife: “One day I realized that I no longer wanted to live in the city, and I didn’t need a family. Now I’m in the jungle, in the forest, in the mountains or on the river bank.

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, seeing dogs tearing to pieces. human body washed ashore by waves. See, shudder and remember - this is Varanasi, the “city of death”.

Chronology of the process

If a person died in Varanasi, he is burned 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 read. All this in order to open the 7 chakras. Then they wrap it in a large white sheet and decorative fabric. They are placed on a stretcher made 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 sagage” - a call to ensure that everything is fine in the next life of this person. The stretcher is dipped into the Ganges. Then the face of the deceased is uncovered, and relatives pour water on it with their hands five times. 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 does it, the younger son does it, if the wife does it, the husband does it. He sets fire to the branches from the sacred fire and walks around the body with them five times. Therefore, the body goes into the five elements: water, earth, fire, air, heaven.

You can only light a fire naturally. If a woman has died, they do not completely burn her pelvis; if a man, they do not burn her rib. The shaved man lets this burnt part of his body into the Ganges and extinguishes the 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 built in the city, universities operated 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, and people - carriers of priceless treasures - were also destroyed. ancient culture and knowledge. However, the spirit of the Eternal City could not be defeated. You can feel it even now by 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 business cards Varanasi (like any sacred city for Hindus), as well as an important sacred place for millions of believers. They serve both for ritual ablution and for burning the dead. In general, ghats are the most popular place for the residents of Varanasi - on these steps they burn corpses, laugh, pray, die, walk, make friends, chat on the phone or just sit.

This city makes the strongest impression on travelers to India, despite the fact that Varanasi does not at all look like a “holiday for tourists”. Life in this sacred city is surprisingly tightly intertwined with death; It is believed that dying in Varanasi, on the banks of the Ganges River, is very honorable. Therefore, thousands of sick and old Hindus flock to Varanasi from all over the country to meet their death here and be freed from the hustle and bustle of life.

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

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

And yet, despite the mission that is incomprehensible, and even more so sad for non-Hindus, this city is a very real city with a population of one million. In the cramped and narrow streets you can hear the voices of people, music sounds, and the cries of merchants can be heard. There are shops everywhere where you can buy souvenirs from ancient vessels to saris embroidered with silver and gold.

The city, although not clean, does not suffer as much from dirt and overcrowding as other Indian cities. major 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 shouts all around, and even on a rickshaw it turns out to be very difficult to squeeze through the narrow, albeit central streets.

Dead children under the age of 10, the bodies of pregnant women and smallpox patients 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 wood. 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 thrown into the river. It is quite common to see the charred remains of dead bodies floating in the river. An estimated 45,000 uncremated bodies are buried in the river bed each year, adding to the toxicity of already heavily polluted water. What shocks visiting Western tourists seems quite natural for Indians. Unlike Europe where everything happens behind closed doors, in India every aspect of life is visible on the streets, be it cremation, washing clothes, bathing or cooking.

The Ganga River was somehow miraculously able to cleanse itself for many centuries. Until 100 years ago, germs such as cholera could not survive in its sacred waters. Unfortunately, today the Ganga is one of the five most polluted rivers in the world. First of all, due to toxic substances discharged by industrial enterprises along the river bed. The level of contamination by some microbes exceeds permissible levels by hundreds of times. What strikes visiting tourists is complete absence hygiene. Ashes of the dead, sewage effluent and offerings float past worshipers as they bathe and perform purification ceremonies in the water. From a medical perspective, bathing in water containing decomposing corpses carries the risk of infections with numerous diseases, including hepatitis. It's a miracle that so many people take a dip and drink the water every day without feeling any harm. Some tourists even join the pilgrims.

Numerous cities located on the Ganges also contribute to the pollution of the river. Based on the results of the report Central Administration pollution control environment It follows that Indian cities recycle only about 30% of their sewage. Nowadays the Ganges, like many other rivers in India, is extremely clogged. It contains more sewage than fresh water. And industrial waste and the remains of cremated people accumulate along its banks.

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 it is impossible to compare religions, peoples and cultures.

Based on materials

Dmitry Komarov

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

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

Chapter 2. Varanasi - the city of the dead

Here I felt 35 degree heat on my skin for the first time since last summer. Varanasi, the city of the dead, greeted me with hot heat. By the way, why is Varanasi called the city of the dead? Well, if you don’t know the features of Hindu culture and specifically the features of Varanasi, then I will hasten to explain to you and even show you.

The thing is that, according to Hindu legends, Varanasi was founded by the god Shiva himself about 5000 years ago at the confluence of two rivers: Varuna and Assi, from which it received its name. This is one of the seven most sacred places for Hindus and attracts Hindu pilgrims from all over the world. Varanasi is also considered sacred by Buddhists and Jains. It is precisely because this city was founded by Shiva himself that Varanasi received such a serious status for worship and reverence. Many other cities lie on the banks of the Ganges, but this city is considered the most sacred of them all.

The Ganges River (or simply Ganges) runs through the city. This is the most sacred river for Hindus and it takes its source far in the Himalayas, at an altitude of over 4000 meters from the Gamukh glacier. If there, in the mountains, in the Gangotri region (where we will visit in the next chapters), the Ganga River is a relatively small mountain stream, then in the Varanasi region it is already a wide river. The Ganges ends its earthly path in the Bengal region, where it merges with the Indian Ocean in the Bay of Bengal.

Buffaloes bathing in the Ganges

we'll get fresh fish here

laundry

The image of Parvati - the wife of Shiva - near the Ganges

In one of the previous chapters of this (wonderful) book, I already wrote about the peculiar methods of burying the dead that are used in dharmic traditions. Last time I talked about Sky Burials, but within Varanasi my story will be dedicated to cremation. Do you know how Kathmandu and Varanasi are similar? Because both of these cities hold cremation ceremonies. In Varanasi, cremation takes place right on the banks of the Ganges River, and in Kathmandu this action takes place on a tributary of the Ganges - the Bagmati River. This happens in a complex specially designated for this purpose called Pashupatinath. It takes its name from Pashupati - this is nothing more than one of the names of the god Shiva. Unfortunately, this book does not say anything about Pashupatinath and there are no photos of him, because I was not in this complex. I didn’t go because I planned to visit Varanasi in the future and watch the ceremonies in this place.

Chapati flatbread

Tea (chai) is a word from Indian languages

Every Hindu dreams of dying in Varanasi. And if he doesn’t die, then at least after his death his body is burned on the banks of the Ganges and his ashes are scattered over its sacred waters. Every Hindu dreams of ending his earthly journey in the sacred waters of the Ganges, so that his nature will dissolve in the water and give life to some new living creature, and his soul will move to new stage rebirth. By the way, in the dharmic worldview the final human way in the form of death it does not seem at all something sad. Hindus believe in reincarnation, in the cycle of rebirth, and death is simply the end of another earthly life and the transition to a new one, in a new appearance and with a new attempt to come to Enlightenment, to which the representatives of the Indian caste (varna) - the Brahmans - are closest. In Buddhism, which originated from Hinduism, it is believed that every person can become Enlightened and complete their cycle of rebirth, achieve Nirvana and connect with the Shining Void. Well, however, we won’t go into the details of the dharmic worldview, let’s go down “from heaven to earth” and move on to the mysterious, slightly magical and extremely interesting city- Varanasi.

I checked into the Elvis guesthouse, to which a rickshaw brought me. In this guest house there was a room for 300 rupees. To be honest, after Nepal I was not yet used to the local rupee and therefore did not really understand the prices, but the price of 300 rupees seemed normal to me. I was very tired after the train ride and wanted to throw my junk on the bed and go order something to eat. The kitchen at Elvis is located on the roof itself, there are 2 floors in total + an extension on the roof. They refused to cook rice and other heavy food for me, since it was still morning, they were too lazy, so I ordered an omelette with vegetables. Having quickly had breakfast (or dinner), I immediately wanted to go down to the Ganges and see what was going on there, especially since Lala (the owner of the hotel) said that the Ganges is literally 1 minute from this building. In which, actually, he did not deceive.

narrow streets of the old district in Varanasi next to the river

By the way, when I was eating my omelet, Lala put some kind of notebook on the table and asked me to read what was written there. It was a book of reviews left by various tourists staying here. There were also many Russian-language inscriptions and exclamation marks. After reading about 10 of them, I realized that I was in a good place. All the people praised this establishment and the owner. Good service, availability hot water 24 hours a day, which is quite rare due to the fact that with the onset of dusk the water in the tanks cools down. Good-natured and responsive service, any help, currency exchange at a good rate, in short, everything for the people. I later became convinced of this myself.

I couldn’t wait to go ashore and look at the legendary Ganges, at the cremation ceremony and the vibrant life of Varanasi. It was only morning, about 10-11 o'clock, but the sun was already hot. The right bank of the Ganges River, on which Varanasi lies, is well equipped and inhabited since ancient times. Everything there is decorated with stone: steps, steps to the water, swimming pools, berths for boats. Sadhus sit on the steps, and idol altars to the god Shiva - Lingams - are installed everywhere. Cows walk and leave traces of their activity.

Shiva Lingam - phallic symbol

Cow - a symbol of fertility, a sacred animal

After walking a little, I realized that this heat would destroy me and that I should immediately go back to my room and fall asleep - which I did without delay. I managed to sleep until 3-4 hours, after which I had lunch and went further to the bank of the Ganges. At this time the Ganges was much more lively than at noon. The heat has already begun to subside, tourists have taken to the streets, local residents, traders, various barkers and annoying “helpers” - these are truly disgusting personalities. They come up to you and start a conversation, as if they want to get to know a stranger and make friends with him, but then after some time they reveal their whole essence, offering some of their services. This could be assistance in choosing a guesthouse, in finding a specific street or building. They may offer to buy “marivanna” in the form of hashish from them.

- Excuse me, mister! Do you want anything?- The average person asks me if she helped.

- No, Thanks!- I answer without hesitation.

- Do you smoke? Do you like "Marivanna"?- She asked and helped, depicting the process of smoking with her hands in front of her face.

All you have time to do is answer them: "Aim dont smoke and ai dont vont marivanna, my friend! Sorry!" - And so on every 100 meters. At first it makes you smile, but then it gets very boring.

There are no problems with this...

Although you often actually come across people who don’t need anything from you, who just want to get to know you. These are, as a rule, the same tourists from other Indian cities. Often they are generally Muslims, of whom there are many in Varanasi itself.

By the way, about marijuana. Theoretically, there is a rule in Indian law according to which marijuana is narcotic substance and its use is prohibited. But there are also some other laws that allow smoking hashish. The fact is that in Hinduism it is believed that the god Shiva himself was a smoker of hashish, and smoking it is a religious ritual of imitation of Shiva. Just as Shiva was a moneyless person and an ascetic, so his followers - sadhus - have a rather ascetic appearance and diligently abuse hashish smoking. And if she helps and offers it to you, sort of in a whisper, then the sadhus smoke marivanna completely openly, right on the street.

Among hippie tourists, this product sells with a bang, bringing good income to the shadow economy of the region. In general, in Varanasi, probably every 3rd foreign tourist uses cannabinoids. It seems to me that the astringency of the product here can put an inexperienced smoker to sleep after just a few puffs. But I will never know this, because I am categorically against any intoxicating substances. Not to say that I have not sinned with such excesses in the past, but now I am absolutely convinced of their unnecessaryness. It’s just that if we talk about Varanasi, and about India in general, then somehow it would be wrong, I think, not to mention this feature at least once.

The world is full of wonders incomprehensible to people, ancient and unidentified sights. In addition, among the ancient cultural monuments there are very unusual specimens. In history there are also strange ones ordinary person traditions and rituals. Although, sometimes what seems strange to some is part of the culture of others. So, there is a city on earth that is visited annually by up to several thousand believers in order to... die. This city is as ancient as, for example, Babylon. It is located in India and has been called the city of Varanasi for thousands of years.

History of the city of Varanasi

Varanasi is located in northern India, in the valley of the Ganges River. At the time of its origin it was called Kashi - “light”. There are no reliable sources indicating when this ancient city arose, but historians consider the approximate age of Varanasi to be 5 thousand years. Written sources such as the Ramayana, Rig-Veda and Mahabharata tell about the existence and life of the city. According to historical studies, throughout this time the city of Varanasi was the center of culture, science, philosophy and education. Trade and production developed here. Even then, the residents of Varanasi knew how to make silk and muslin, and process ivory.

Varanasi of the 15th-16th centuries became the personification of the Indian Renaissance. At this time, the city is the most important center of culture and education in India, and, subsequently, becomes the place where the formation and development of literary language Hindi.

Religious significance of the city of Varanasi - a sacred place for all Hindus

Ancient city in modern times has become a point of attraction for many tourists from all over the world. What is interesting about this city? And why is it called the city of the dead?

Hindus and Buddhists consider the city of Varanasi a holy place and even the center of the Universe. According to the mythology of the ancient Hindus, it was from this place that the creation of the world began. Before the Gods went to the Himalayas, they lived with people in Varanasi.

Dying in Varanasi is every Hindu's dream

Hindus sincerely believe in reincarnation. In their opinion, death is just a transition to a new life in a new body. For thousands of years, the eternal flame does not go out here, from which funeral pyres are lit throughout the city of the dead.

More than two hundred bodies are cremated every day in Varanasi.

These are the bodies of those who were brought by relatives, or those who came here to die themselves, feeling the approach of death. After the sacred burning, the ashes of the dead are scattered over the Ganges. Hindus believe that by dying in the city of the dead Varanasi, new life it won't come. Instead, moksha will come, or, as Buddhists say, nirvana - a state of eternal bliss and happiness.

If a person did not die in the city of the dead, but his body was cremated here and his ashes were scattered over the waves of the Ganges, then his soul will undergo purification, and the next life will be happier than the last. The Hindu belief is also strong that the Ganges water purifies and can wash away any sins. By the way, contrary to the laws of geography, in the city of the dead Varanasi, the Ganges River flows north, in the opposite direction from the rest of the flow.

Sights of Varanasi

It is difficult for a person who has never been to the city of Varanasi to imagine the real picture that reigns in this city: the smell of death, funeral pyres and constant crying. There is an electric crematorium in the city, but it is not popular among the people. People prefer to cremate their loved ones in a wood fire, and wealthy Hindus use sandalwood as firewood. To this we also need to add animals and representatives of the untouchable caste freely roaming around the city. However, the city of Varanasi constantly attracts tourists because there is so much to see in such an unusual city.

One of the famous attractions of Varanasi is Manikarnika. This is a holy place located on the shore, where funeral pyres are burned. According to legend, the eternal flame that burns here was lit by the god Shiva. Tourists are prohibited from being here, much less filming the spectacle. But for a fee, the locals are ready to make “concessions.”

Another attraction worth paying attention to is the ghats. Ghats are steps made of stone leading to the waters of the Ganges. They serve for ritual ablution.

There are many temples in Varanasi in honor of the god Shiva. These monasteries contain a variety of shrines, to which thousands of believers make pilgrimages every day.

Varanasi leaves an indelible impression on everyone who has been there. A city where death lives next to life. Hindus believe that it will never be destroyed. Millennia pass, but the consciousness and culture of the city do not change. The city of Varanasi does not adapt to modern world and travel requests. However, even in a thousand years, Hindus will come here to die, and tourists will come to see this unusual action.