It is difficult to believe there is a city which is considered as death, but Benares, or Varanasi, as they know, it smells like the streets, and respect and calm is emerging as the tourists who come to the ghats.
But what for us is an innate fear for them is a holy place, a place sacred to the Hindu religion itself includes in its provisions and is based on three pillars: one of these three points is the one who says that he who dies Benares has won the direct path to Nirvana. On the other hand, it also indicates that bathing in the Ganges in Varanasi, purifies and purges sins. And finally, a third provision that requires every believer Hindu pilgrimage at least once in their life to Benares.
As you can imagine, the city becomes the final stretch of the vital pilgrimage for many Hindus come to die here. The city gets dark, sad and even tragic. However, at the same time, it is the perfect example of spirituality in India. Is this the place where most communes with his faith, where more intensely live their beliefs?
Varanasi just has nothing to do, talking monumentally perhaps the golden temple of Shiva and Gyanvapi Mosque. However, remember something that is life its ghats and Ganga.
But getting to the Ganges is not easy. To this we must traverse the entire old city Chow and we must be careful not to lose its sea of narrow streets that all look the same. Old, dirty and muddy streets, speckled clay walls, and cows and donkeys roam freely without giving way. And of course, sometimes you have to go after them as if in a procession outside.
I will tell a story that I hope not ... Well, the case is going through one of those narrow streets, when I plug a cow path. Would slow, quiet as they, so out of fear or narrow I did not dare to advance it because it would mean a lot to beat me so small it was the street. Suddenly, the cow stood still, and not idle, lifted the tail. You can imagine what was doing there in the middle of the street, all full of mud and dirt. And there behind a server waiting for it to end...
Anyway, these are things of Benares, but finally managed to reach the banks of the Ganges.
It was very early, and had not yet dawned, they began to appear the first light, when I could see several mounds raising above the river the smoke of the cremations, and queues of people waiting their turn to ash to be wanted.
It was overwhelming first, the long line of people secondly the system, because it was not more than a pile of lumber where burned, but not before beating them the skull so that his spirit will not pinch. It had rained much that very night, and not well lit fires, the bodies were smeared with butter, they said, and finally, and after several minutes, came the "burial".
What remains should rest in the waters of the Ganges, so that the officiating was picking up a sort of broom, and sweep the remains into the Ganges, so that fell from the height of the mound to the waters where Hindus bathe looking undaunted the purifying bath of the day.
The walk we took Boat on the Ganges Sometimes almost prefer not to remember, but I'll tell you why in a future article.