ON THE GANGA RIVER (GANGES) IN VARANASI   JAN. 27

Varanasi, or Benares, or Kashi, its oldest name (in Sanskrit it means "spiritual light", is over 5000+ years old continuously inhabited. Nearest oldest city is Damascus.  Buddha gave his 1st teachings here. It is sacred to Hindu, Buddhist and Jainist followers.  The river, consider "Mother Ganga",  is 1700 miles - 3rd longest after Nile and Amazon, flowing from the Himalayas down to the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh. There are 3 million people living here, the City of Learning and Burning! It is a honor to die and be cremated here. Many old people come here for that to happen. Sometimes, because they go to the river every day to bathe, up and down the steps, they end up not dying quite so soon! 

It is considered the abode of God Shiva - not just god of death, but also of rebirth or also reaching moksha, or nirvana. Mostly cremations take place between sunset and sunrise, but not in Varanasi - they go on 24/7. We saw last evening 8 or 9 going on at one site, the maha shimishan - or main crematorium, with two bodies wrapped on the steps waiting. it takes 2-3 hours each, on a wooden pyre. Only male family members attend, with one of the members in charge, having his head shaved. The body should be cremated almost immediately, in such a warm climate, so there is no time to bring a body here from very far away, if they don't die here. 

Little girls last night selling Daisy floating flowered lights for us!

I think this was the oldest, 500 years, building here.

All the fires are individual cremations going on. Sandalwood is poured on so no odor.

A happy Thanksgiving for the day celebration was going on nearby - not related at all to the cremations going on.

This was the evening aarti - ceremony. Very joyous!

Sunrise on Ganges!

Colorful, old city!

All the boats out at sunrise!

Holy men on the platforms to make offerings.

Landing our boat.

Some kind of ceremony that tourists could join in.

Rod, saw this and thought of you!! :) Penguin in India? 

Along the banks of Varanasi

Hindu women, training to be priests, unheard of!, chanting in Sanskrit in morning arti (greeting sunrise)

Hindu priests performing arti at sunrise

Man bathing, and women collecting holy water in vessels.

One of the hawkers came alongside to sell us stuff.

A "sadhu", or holy man, covered in ashes, on the steps (ghat) to the Ganges. Daisy taking a whiff of his MJ pipe! 

The crowds just after sunrise as we were leaving!

One of the many temples that provide free food (soup) to the pilgrims who come to this holy place.