The Place Welcomes Only Two Types Of People: Visitors From All Over The World And People Waiting To Die

There are two main reasons that a person comes to Varanasi, India, to visit or wait to die.
The place welcomes only two types of people: visitors from all over the world and people waiting to die
If you decide to visit the city of Varanasi in India, you should be prepared to witness the rituals here. Below is the account of Gavin Fernando, a News reporter, of his impressions of his visit to this holy Ganges city.
The Indians often wear bright colors, mainly yellow and orange, when mourning the deceased. Photo: Gavin Fernando

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City of funerals
Varanasi, city in the central Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, is one of the most ancient and sacred places in Hindu religion and legend. The locals believe that if someone is cremated here after death, their souls will rest in heaven forever. Some hotels here even opened to welcome the dying elderly
"Ghat" in Hindu means a staircase leading down to a riverbank.



It is a place that attracts more than 40,000 foreign visitors each year. Visiting the Ganges River at any time, visitors can easily see people bathing in the sacred stream. Maybe in the eyes of outsiders it is a polluted river, but the Indian concept that the Ganges water will wash away all evil.
The streets are crowded with vendors selling fried samosa cakes, souvenirs are present in every corner. But most tourists come here not to shop, but because they want to see the cremation ceremony of the Indians.
Residents and tourists gathered at the ghat to watch the cremation ceremony. Photo: Gavin Fernando
Stories from insiders
As an obsession with corpses, I hate zombie-based movies, always hold my breath when walking through cemeteries and avoid standing at the end of the line seeing someone's face for the last time at funerals.



This time, however, I made up my mind to face my own fears to find out what the cremation ritual in Varanasi was like.
One late afternoon, a man named Rahul agreed to take me in a small boat to the place to observe the ritual.
"You're not afraid of corpses, are you?", He asked as he left the station. I don't answer.
While in the middle of the river, suddenly, the drums, the rushing song echoed the atmosphere. Through the lingering sunset rays, we see about twenty men wrapping something in a canoe approaching the shore. Closer to see, I discovered it was a body in orange cloth being placed on a bamboo stretcher.
The body was carefully placed along the stone steps facing the river, in front of everyone.



Dozens of tourists sit on the boat, quietly observing the sacred ritual. Hundreds of Indian men chanted and threw logs on the crematorium. The funeral usually takes place in a quiet atmosphere, but the scene seems to reflect the chaos of the city.
The cremation ceremony was about to begin. Photo: Gavin Fernando.
Rahul warned that taking pictures of the bodies is disrespectful to the deceased and their families. However many of the surrounding tourists may not know or care; Still facing the camera towards the flaming fire and clicked repeatedly.
I then transferred to Suraj's boat, a priest at the ghat, for a chat.



"Cremation is a Hindu ritual in which the soul is cleansed of sin and released from the body," he said. The cremation ceremony is respected because it is the way to bring the soul to nirvana ”.
According to this monk, only men can attend the ceremony, because women easily cry out of emotion. Tears and sadness will prevent the soul from transcending. Therefore, Indian women often stay at home to commemorate the deceased.
Cameras kept flashing around as we chatted, I asked Suraj if families were upset at the visitor's behavior.
“For us this is not a ritual of death. It is a ritual of life.



A spiritual ritual connecting people, ”replied Suraj. He shared that Indians, whether rich or poor, were present to help the family of the deceased. They wore bright colors and gathered around the crematorium. Although the family has grief, there is also joy in it.
Suraj judged that someone would be guilty if he said that Varanasi was the city of death. Earlier this year, CNN received a backlash from online audiences after releasing a documentary about Varanasi, titled "City of the Dead".
Famous speakers, authors and journalists in India criticized CNN for portraying Varanasi as untrue and contrary to Hinduism, emphasizing that it is the "oldest city" and also the "City. street of life ”.




In the overwhelming sunset, Rahul started to power the boat, Suraj approached me and asked: “Do you believe in cause and effect? I believe so. I helped you see this scene, now how do you respond? After paying, you will have a good thing.
He continued: "Some people pay 2,000 rupees (more than 710,000 dong), others give 5,000 rupees (about 1.7 million dong), whatever you want."
Probably nothing.

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