India is the only culture in the world that considers every act of living a spiritual endeavour, a step towards the divine. Therefore it would not be surprising to include ‘Death’ on the list.
As children, we have been told not to discuss it, to keep a hushed tone around its existence and avoid dealing with it directly.
Conversely,
Let's talk about a place that not only deeply regards the process of annihilation but also sees it as a stepping stone towards liberation (Mukti).
This is Manikarnika Ghat, located in the ethereal city of Varanasi.
Manikarnika ghat is a cremation ground where dead corpses from all over the world are cremated. Having travelled to several places, I have seen tourism of several kinds, such as adventurous, cultural, and eco-friendly; however, when I saw the popularity of the concept of ‘Death tourism’ has gotten, it sparked a flame of curiosity within me.
Every day thousands of tourists and individuals gather around this ghat to see the funeral pyres blazing with deadly silence; their eyes are fixed upon the parching body that is disintegrating as we speak.
When one comes to the realisation of his mortality, I wonder if he has a choice but to visualise his own body burning on these pyres.
The unique aspect of this ghat is that this place demands no breaks; there has never been a ‘free hour’ where bodies stop burning. 24/7, 365, bodies are continuously burning. This ritual comes from a myth, a glorious story that I wish to pen down in my next article. Until then, let's understand the geography of the place.
Conversely,
Let's talk about a place that not only deeply regards the process of annihilation but also sees it as a stepping stone towards liberation (Mukti).
This is Manikarnika Ghat, located in the ethereal city of Varanasi.
Manikarnika ghat is a cremation ground where dead corpses from all over the world are cremated. Having travelled to several places, I have seen tourism of several kinds, such as adventurous, cultural, and eco-friendly; however, when I saw the popularity of the concept of ‘Death tourism’ has gotten, it sparked a flame of curiosity within me.
Every day thousands of tourists and individuals gather around this ghat to see the funeral pyres blazing with deadly silence; their eyes are fixed upon the parching body that is disintegrating as we speak.
When one comes to the realisation of his mortality, I wonder if he has a choice but to visualise his own body burning on these pyres.
The unique aspect of this ghat is that this place demands no breaks; there has never been a ‘free hour’ where bodies stop burning. 24/7, 365, bodies are continuously burning. This ritual comes from a myth, a glorious story that I wish to pen down in my next article. Until then, let's understand the geography of the place.
Burning of the Body on the Pyre. (An Esoteric Process)
A ceremony is conducted when the Dead body arrives at the ghat. It is wrapped in a piece of cloth and carried on bamboo stretchers by people whilst chanting ‘Ram Nam Satya hai.’ A chant used when an individual dies signifies that whoever was once born is bound to eventually die and therefore that which remains is ‘Ram’, a symbol of the divine.
The next step is to calculate the cost of cremation and the type of wood used. Depending upon one’s financial status, it is decided. Many are uncommonly burnt on sandalwood which is the most expensive wood in the world!
While the pyre is being prepared, the body is dipped in the pious Ganga, another ritual performed since it is believed that the sins accumulated by the Man can be washed for one last time before he is cremated so as to wish for him to be liberated instead of wandering between the cycle of birth-rebirth.
The world needs to understand that Life cannot be a celebration without the inclusion of death. Varanasi is adept at understanding the duality of life. The relationship between pleasure-pain, happiness-unhappiness, and sun-moon is the very crux of the relationship that forms the ultimate union Life-Death.
As I visit this ghat quite often, I am aware of several practices that rituals performed that are not only esoteric but rather unfathomable by a city-living person.
While the pyre is being prepared, the body is dipped in the pious Ganga, another ritual performed since it is believed that the sins accumulated by the Man can be washed for one last time before he is cremated so as to wish for him to be liberated instead of wandering between the cycle of birth-rebirth.
The world needs to understand that Life cannot be a celebration without the inclusion of death. Varanasi is adept at understanding the duality of life. The relationship between pleasure-pain, happiness-unhappiness, and sun-moon is the very crux of the relationship that forms the ultimate union Life-Death.
As I visit this ghat quite often, I am aware of several practices that rituals performed that are not only esoteric but rather unfathomable by a city-living person.
In the next few posts, I wish to expand on these rituals, practices and myths surrounding Manikarnika Ghat, a space that meditates on the silence of Death.
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