The Heart of India?

Varanasi is intense! This city is old, really, really old -- one of the oldest living cities in the world actually, but that in no way means it appears tired. On the contrary it is so full of color and life and excitement, all bursting from the banks of the holy Ganges River (The Ganga as they call it here), a mysterious river that is almost worshipped by the Hindu people. The ganga supports life here -- its where people come to bathe, wash their clothes, fish, have fun, and pray daily. Reminds me of summer camp. It's where people come to die as well. I have never before seen a cremation in progress, and here they burn bodies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year here, and they have been for over 2,500 years! The fire used to start the cremation fires has apparently been going since the very beginning, and is watched 24/7 by somone. The ashes and any leftover pieces of bone after about 3 hours are thrown in the river by family members, none of whom cry as they watch and pray in silence for the entire duration of the incineration. Female family members are strictly banned from the "burning ghats" because they cry and disturb the process. To watch this powerful scene sends chills up the spine and burns an image in your memory that will be impossible to forget.

But think about the implications. There are the ashes of millions of Hindu people in the ganga, and regarding lepers, pregnant women, children under 10 years, small-pox, cobra-bite victims, and accidental death victims - they are not burned. A stone is simply tied to their bodies, and they are thrown in the ganga. AND PEOPLE BATHE IN IT DAILY! AND EAT THE FISH! Not to mention that several sewage systems dump waste directly into the water, and hundreds of peopl do their laundry in the water, and many of the banks are strewn with debris, and people and animals go to the bathroom in the water, and the list goes on! I LITERALLY SAW OUR BOATMAN DRINK FROM THE WATER!!!

They say we just don't understand. It's true, we don't. And when we ask why people would throw their trash in something they hold so special to them, they just kind of stare back confused and have no response. I don't think they really understand either, but, for those who have lived their entire lives on the ganga, bathing in it every day (never having ever taken a real shower or bath elsewhere), drinking from it, and surviving from it -- they are alive (for the most part), and very happy, and feel fortunate to live their lives near the ganges. It's so crazy, unlike anything we have ever seen, and personally, we're very happy with our filtered, clear, clean, un-holy, normal water.

I'll tell you more about Varanasi later, right now its time for a delicious lunch, a walk along the colorful ghats, some visits to holy temples like "The Monkey Temple", and a relaxing afternoon Chai.