Back at the ghats, we watched as a body, covered in brightly colored silk was escorted by boat and family members to the middle of the river. There was no singing or crying, and no women were present. They simply gave the body to the river and rowed back to shore. Instead of cremation, the body is given to the river because they either did not die of natural causes, were pregnant, or were too young.
Manikarnika Ghat is the larger of the burning ghats and was quite the experience. A ‘kind’ man only interested in teaching us about the ceremony (b.s.) explained a bit about the process of cremation. Nearly 200-300 bodies are cremated everyday and you are cremated on different levels based on your caste. The area was covered with tourists, cows, dogs, and grieving families (only men).
A bull stood over the body of a dead woman who was waiting to be cremated and the creep ‘helping’ us wanted to lead us in closer for a better view. At this point, I got frustrated with him and his antics and decided to ditch him as he cursed us with bad karma. Most of the day was spent kindly telling people ‘no’, but there was a breaking point and it was time for dinner.
Megs, India seems to be so different as to the customs. One really has to overlook the obvious to enjoy the visit. When I look at the pictures of disarray, I am always shocked. The picture of Sam getting a nice massage, was fun.
nina