Veranassi

Veranassi is an imporant site for two of the major religions: Hinduism and Buddhism. Nearly 5 million pilgrims and tourists visit the city each year. And yet, the city is intensely poor and rundown. There are people (and cows, and goats, and monkeys, and dogs...) everywhere. As a result, the city has a certain... Scent...

We went to the Ganges at 5:30 in the morning with the pilgrims. The pilgrims
Move in flocks like birds. Many had musical accompaniment for their procession. At the ghats (steps /terraces) along the river, priests sit on platforms under umbrellas and bless the pilgrims as they enter the water to bathe and then exit. The incense they burn mask the other characteristic scents of the city.

From our boat on the water we could see the cremation pores burning. The crematoriums along the water run nearly 24 hours. According to our guide, all Hindus are cremated, except children, pregnant women, individuals who die of snake bites and those die of some sort of viral infection (or chicken pox, small pox etc). The bodies of these people are put into the river. The attach stones to the body with strings. When the strings disintegrate the decomposing corpse rises to the surface.

After the boat ride we walked through the "old" city. The streets are no more than 3feet wide and crowded with people, cows, dogs, monkeys and the occasional bicycle. People are sleep in the gutters. People sweep trash off their stoop into the street, but don't actually move the trash. The streets are intense, dense chaos.