At 3,000 years old Varanasi, also called Kashi or Benares, is a humbling place. Mark Twain said: “Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together”. The great Ganges River, believed to have the power to wash away the sins of mortals, is the spiritual focus of the City. Hindus believe that one who is graced to die and be cremated on the land of Varanasi would attain salvation and freedom from the cycle of birth and re-birth. Varanasi has also been a great center of learning for ages.

Varanasi is situated on the west bank of the Ganges. In the evening we took a wooden boat out on to the water. Here is the view looking back at a ceremony taking place on the steps leading down to the waters’ edge.

Further along the river are the burning funerary pyres that continue night and day.

Every day of the year, hundreds of bodies  burn in plain sight. The body is shrouded in white cloth and immersed in the leaping flames. The ashes are then placed in the river along with a bone fragment of the deceased.

We set our votive candles adrift on the river in memory of our deceased loved ones.

Ganga Seva Nidhi is a non-government organization whose mission is: “SERVE THE NATION, SAVE GANGA, SOURCE OF OUR LIFE”.  The ceremony, “Agni Pooja” (Worship to Fire) is a dedication made to Lord Shiva, River Ganga (the Ganges), Surya (Sun), Agni (Fire), and the entire universe. It takes place every evening and is attended by hundreds of people.

Priests perform the ceremony using lit candelabras.

Incense is sprinkled in the crowd.

This woman is ringing a bell to invoking the spirits to answer her prayers.

A community-supported soup station feeds the poor.

 

Sunrise on the Ganges begins the day’s activities.

Holy man prepares to meet pilgrims and other visitors to the river.

Holy man prepares a paste made of marigolds and ochre.

Morning row on the Ganges.

Bathing in the Ganges is a daily ritual for many devotees.

Namaste.

Yoga centers dot the shoreline.

Laundry drying on the steps.

Tea maker preparing Masala tea, a delicious combination of spices, milk, and tea.

Public washroom

Off to school

Boy with clown nose helps out at his father’s stand.

Sandik, the bead seller, points to the entrance of a home much like his own.

Interior of the home.

A goat shows off his marigolds.