A visit to Manikarnika Ghat – the cremation site!

(Varanasi, India, 16th of Sep 2016)

We have made a visit to Manikarnika Ghat, which is the largest cremation site in Varanasi, and it was really an memorable experience. Maybe not pleasant but very fascinating. We saw families carrying their deceased relatives on stretchers down to the Gath. The bodies were dressed in colorful shiny fabric and the first thing they did was to dip the entire stretcher in the Ganges to purify the body before the cremation process started.

At the time when we visited the Gath there were three fires burning at the same time and there was new bodies arriving all the time so we actually saw when they started some cremations. It starts with the family covering the body with spices, flowers and other gifts, then they set it on fire.