Burning Pyres on Ghat of Varanasi: Where Death Romances With Life To Get Nirvana & Moksha

My main charm to visit Varanasi was to watch the burning pyres at Ghats of Ganges (sets of steps leading to the river bank). So one day, I packed my bag and reached there, and started to uncover the Burning Ghat of Varanasi.

 

Here a Death romance with Life. Varanasi is city of Moksha, and Nirvana. But to liberate the soul to achieve Nirvana, the worn-out body must first be burned. The Place Where Death Ends.

 

The Burning Fires At Ghats

Burning fires of the Manikarnika Ghats have been burning for thousands of years. The burning Pyres are to break the Death and Rebirth cycle. Attainment of Nirvana. I realized that there is not only one mystery, many still to discover.

 

Varanasi is a city where Hindus come to die. Varanasi is city, where living is searching for their own salvation in its space everyday. A city which promises salvation to the restless souls. Throughout the day, every day, there are funeral processions bringing loved ones to the Ghats.

 

An unfortunate fact of people wanting to die in Varanasi is that there are crowded boarding homes throughout the city full of elderly people, many of whom spend their days begging on the streets to save the money needed for funeral costs.

 

Varanasi is the only city in India where pyres burn 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Because the city is believed to be so sacred, the demand for funerals here is high.

 

Death is present here as a part of life. No wonder the people here have a carefree attitude as they understand there is no point getting worried about anything when you can see your final landing place all the time. You cannot but notice the playfulness in people and in the air, even though it is the most spiritual of places in the world.

 

Burning Ghats

To meet death, there are burning Ghats, where last rites are being performed almost around the clock. These are open places, anyone can go, sit and observe the rituals and contemplate what life means in the end.

 

It’s believed that if one is cremated in Varanasi, and their ashes are released into the sacred and purifying water of the Ganges, their reincarnation cycle will end and they will reach Nirvana. Along the edges of the river are people having a fun night out, Sadhus smoking with crowds watching, multiple religious ceremonies, and street vendors selling food and crafts.

 

Manikarnika Ghat

There are around 88 Ghats situated around the Ganges, with 2 being specifically used for these cremations.  They are called the Manikarnika and Harishchandra Ghats, and they carry out on average around 80 cremations per day.

 

Burning fires of the Manikarnika Ghats have been burning for thousands of years.The burning Pyres: Breaking the Death and Rebirth cycle. Attainment of Nirvana. I realized that there is not only one mystery, many still to discover.

 

The most threatening Ghat, Manikarnika (also known simply as the burning Ghat) is the place where the majority of dead bodies are cremated in Varanasi.

 

Hindu mythology teaches that the Ghat is especially sacred and that people cremated there receive moksha. As the myth goes, Vishnu, after several thousand years of tapasya, trying to please Shiva, to convince him to not destroy the holy city of Kashi when he destroys the world, managed to do so.

 

Lord Shiva along with Parvati came to Kashi before Vishnu to grant him his wish. Vishnu dug a kund (well) on the bank of Ganga for the bath of the couple. When Lord Shiva was bathing a Mani (Jewel) from his earring fell into the kund.

 

Hence the name Manikarnika (Mani: Beads Karnam: Ear Angad: Ornament). There is another myth about the Ghat: the ear jewel from lord Shiva fell down while he was dancing angrily, which fell on the earth and thus Manikarnika Ghat formed.

 

Why Cremation?

If one dies or is cremated in Varanasi, the soul will be released from the ongoing cycle of rebirth. After death, Hindus believe that the soul must be released from the body in order to achieve re-incarnation. Cremation is the only way to achieve this, with the fire acting as a purifying agent, releasing the soul from the skull of the body.

 

Throughout the day, every day, there are funeral processions bringing loved ones to the Ghats. An unfortunate fact of people wanting to die in Varanasi is that there are crowded boarding homes throughout the city full of elderly people, many of whom spend their days begging on the streets to save the money needed for funeral costs.

 

Karma, Moksha, and Nirvana

Karma is a major factor here, with followers of the Hindu religion believing that the soul faces rebirth after rebirth, though through different forms each time as a result of how you lived your previous life.

 

Now, the ultimate aim of every Hindu is to achieve Moksha, meaning an end to the rebirth cycle, an end to Karma, allowing the soul to finally reach Nirvana.

 

The only way to achieve this is to be cremated and have your ashes scattered in holy waters.  The Ganges is considered to be the most sacred of rivers, therefore each year, thousands upon thousands have their wishes granted by being cremated at the burning Ghats of Varanasi. 

 

The Doms

The Doms are the caretakers as such, of the Ghats, and their role is to protect the ever-burning flame at the Temple.  This flame is believed to have been created by Lord Shiva, and has been burning for over 3500 years!

 

The Doms provide the cremation packages, which includes the purchasing of essential wood that is needed to burn the bodies, and assistance during the rituals (sometimes the Doms have to give the skulls a bit of a whack during the cremation in order for the soul to be released properly!)

 

After attending fires all night, workers (Doms) on the sacred burning Ghat take a tea break as another body is prepared for cremation in the background. Burning pyres run 24 hours a day, all year long, just downstream from the bathing ghats in Varanasi.

 

The Burning Pyre

The eldest son or male family member is then required to light the pyre from the ever-burning flame which then starts the cremation fire. The eternal flame that feeds the fires is said to have been burning for centuries now. Once the cremation is complete, the ashes are then scattered into holy waters, whereby Moksha can be achieved.

 

Here, the eldest son or family member receives a head shave, for purposes of showing respect for the deceased, preparing him for his new role as family leader, and also to get rid of any arrogance or vanity.

 

For a lot of people across the Indian subcontinent, standing in the Ganga and praying with their hands folded is a dream come true – a mission accomplished before they die.

 

My two days stay passed away as a dream. Filled with memories of the Burning pyres on Ghat of Varanasi, where Death romances with Life. People of Varanasi don’t wish to hurry up; they are fine with what they do. They are bindaas in nature and always think that Lord Shiva will take care of them. This ends the blog “Burning Pyres on Ghat of Varanasi: Where Death Romances with Life to Get Nirvana & Moksha”.

The End

 

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