There are few places like Varanasi, one of the holiest cities for Hindus in India. It has been located here for at least 2,000 years on the sacred Ganges River, where it is believed that bathing in the waters removes all sin. In addition, those who die here receive moksha, relief from the endless reincarnation cycles of life and death. So lots of dead and dying folks can be found here.
 Enough with the sunsets; here is a sunrise over the Ganges. |
 The morning laundry; everything is done right on the river banks. |
 A crowd gathers around a cremation site. A larger site is farther along, and draws huge crowds of tourists. Photos are not allowed. It's not something you really want to see anyway. |
 Firewood for cremation pyres. The richer you are, the more wood you can buy, to ensure your body is fully consumed. Whatever is left, in any case, is put in the river. Various castes are assigned the specific tasks of selling firewood, burning the bodies, etc. |
 A sadhu or holy man performs a morning ceremony. |
 Applying the morning tikka, a Hindu mark on the forehead, after a bath in the river. |
 A tourist spectacle is put on every night along the main ghat, or steps, at the riverside. |
 The same ceremony, on a much more quiet scale, away from the tourists. |
 Remains of a past ceremony. Eerie stuff (look closely). |
 Morning bathing in the Ganges. |
 Evening bathing. |
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 Everybody hangs out along the ghats. But you gotta love the buffaloes!
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 As elsewhere through India, the bull rules. |
 A tourist gets a haircut. In Hindu tradition, the oldest son of the deceased gets a shave before performing the family funeary rituals. |
 A local canoe. At least they recycle. |
 Preparing chapati for an evening ceremony. |
 Not far away, a local girl picks up her dried manure. Not her personal manure, but from the local buffaloes. |
 As everywhere in India, the local kids (away from the tourist ghats) love to have their photos taken. |
 Local women bearing their loads. |
 Local women chatting up a tourist. |
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 If you see these guys, I can say from experience they can give a heck of a body massage for about $15. Now if I could only get the women to do that...
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