A Place for Life and Death
To Hindu devotees, Varanasi is where life and death coexist.
Hindus believe that it is an honour to die on the land of Varanasi and that a person who does so and is cremated there would attain salvation through moksha — final liberation of the soul from the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
Regarded as the spiritual capital of India, Varanasi has been known in various eras as Avimukta, Benaras and Kashi — meaning ‘where the supreme light shines’. Often referred to as the holy city of India, it is the holiest of seven sacred cities (sapta puri) in Hinduism and Jainism for the important role it plays in the development of Buddhism and Ravidassia, a religion founded on Sikhism. For ages, Varanasi has been the ultimate pilgrimage spot for Hindus. Hindus believe that it is an honour to die on the land of Varanasi and that a person who does so and is cremated there would attain salvation through moksha — final liberation of the soul from the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. No place along the Ganges’ banks is more longed for at the moment of death by Hindus than Varanasi. Because of this belief, dead bodies from far-off places are brought there for cremation. Thus, Varanasi is also traditionally called Mahashamshana or the great cremation ground.
Burning ghats along Ganges’ banks are where bodies are burned, and the Harishchandra Ghat is a dedicated platform from where anyone can view this public display. Ashes of burned corpses are subsequently emptied into the holy river. There are five key and eighty-eight minor cremation and bathing sites along the Ganges. Among them, Manikarnika is the most sacred one as it is associated with Goddess Parvathi, Lord Shiva’s wife.
Devotees long to die here and this has given rise to businesses that help them fulfill this wish. Hotels offer death beds where people literally wait to die on and one such “hotel”, Kashi Labh Mukti Bhavan, only accepts occupants expected to die within 15 days.
In her book, Banaras: City of Light, Diana Eck writes: “Death in Kashi is not a feared death for here the ordinary God of Death, frightful Yama, has no jurisdiction. Death in Kashi is death known and faced, transformed and descended”.
The old city of Varanasi extends about two kilometres behind the Ganges and is a maze of alleyways and streets.
One of the oldest living cities in the world, this great north Indian centre of Shiva worship has had more than 3000 years of continuous habitation. Its prominence in Hindu mythology is virtually unrevealed. Mark Twain, the English author and literature, who was enthralled by the legend and sanctity of Benaras, once wrote “Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together.”
Varanasi has been a symbol of Hindu renaissance. The city is a centre of learning and civilization for over 3000 years; knowledge, philosophy, culture, deity worship, Indian arts and crafts have all flourished here for centuries. Sarnath where Buddha preached his first sermon after enlightenment is just 10 kilometres northeast of Varanasi near the
Varanasi and its surrounding area are considered especially sacred because Shiva is believed to have lived here with his wife Goddess Parvathi.
confluence of the Ganges and Varuna rivers in Uttar Pradesh.
Varanasi and its surrounding area are considered especially sacred because Shiva is believed to have lived here with his wife Goddess Parvathi. Commenting on this part of Varanasi along the Ganges, the Hindu scripture Tristhalisetu explains that whatever is sacrificed, chanted, given in charity, or suffered in penance there, even in the smallest amount, yields endless fruit because of the power of that place. This fruit is said to be more than what is obtainable from three nights of fasting in this place and equivalent to what is accrued from many thousands of lifetimes of asceticism. It is said that there are some 10,000 temples dedicated to different gods and godesses here.
Personified as a goddess known as Ganga, the river Ganges is considered sacred by Hindus who believe that bathing in the river causes the remission of sins and liberation from the cycle of life and death. Pilgrims travel long distances to pour the ashes of their kin into the precious water of the Ganges. The river is also a lifeline to millions of Indians who live along its course and depend on it for their daily needs.
At Dashashwamedh Ghat, a public worship ceremony called Ganga Aarti dedicated to Lord Shiva and the Ganges River takes place nightly. Thousands of devotees gather to watch the ceremony during which priests spin smoky brass lamps, chant and sing on the seven-platform riverside stage from boats, ghats and buildings on the riverbank. At the end of the ceremony, the priests walk to the river’s edge and pour water into the river while chanting prayers. Devotees also float small oil lamps (diyas) on the river.
A favoured hermitage site for many of India’s most venerated sages such as Guatama Buddha and Mahavira, Kabir and Tulsi Das, Shankaracharaya, Ramanuja and Patanjali who all meditated here, Varanasi has been and continues to be one of the most visited holy places on the planet. While Varanasi may overwhelm first-time visitors with the myriad of sensory stimulation, this is what gives this city the spiritual flavour many come here for.
Prakhar Tripathi believes there is a story, an emotion or an expression in everything around us and tries to convey these through his photography. He has shot for British Council, Youtube, Dusit International and Tropicana and published his works in publications such as Tiger Tales Asia, Asian Geographic and National Geographic.