We traveled all the way to India to see the Taj Mahal (kinda), and of course the only day we had in Agra to see it, the Taj was closed! Every Friday it's closed for any non-Muslim who isn't there to pray. (If only we checked our guide book's fine print a few days earlier!) Our extremely hard-to-book train ticket left that same night to Varanasi so there was no way of staying an extra day. However, since the Taj is symmetrical on every side, we were able to get great sunset views from the other side of the river. The only thing we didn't get to see was the reflecting pool in front of the main entrance where most Taj pictures are taken. Oh well, it still was spectacular. And we met two Canadians who were great and we passed the day in Agra together. In the end it all worked out, and we are left with a unique story about coming all the way to India and not able to enter the Taj!
Varanasi is the oldest continuously-inhabited city of the world. And it is one of the holiest for Hindus. It borders the very holy and important Ganges River where there are these "ghats" or step-like things leading down to the water. Every 50 meters or so is a "separate" ghat, but in reality they all are continuous. Every morning, Hindus wade and jump into the extremely polluted and filthy Ganges to ceremoniously bathe and wash clothes. Also using the Ganges to bathe alongside the people are cows, water buffalo and dogs.
The Ganges is notoriously polluted. Sewage, garbage and dead bodies fill up the banks of this river. By dead bodies I mean corpses that are "buried" in the river after being sunk with stones.
One of the ghats specializes in the removal of human corpses. It is called Marnikarnika Ghat and there are people who have for generations performed the ceremonial cremations and river burials of Hindus. The cremations are public right on the banks of the river where over 20 fires burn at a time. The newly dead bodies are wrapped in cloth and special sheets and dunked into the Ganges to be cleansed. They are then placed on a fresh pile of logs (prices for logs depend on the type, quality and amount) and set ablaze. The special Ganges cremation is supposed to end the Hindu cycle of reincarnation so it is obviously very popular and sacred. Only those who die of natural causes such as old age are allowed the cremation. Children, pregnant mothers and those who died of snake bites do not get cremated but are sunk into the Ganges with heavy stones.
We went to the Marnikarnika Ghat today and watched the activities for about an hour (no photography allowed). It was quite the sight to see as white ash covered our clothes and hair. We walked around burning corpses where the fire was so hot we had to step back. People were milling around watching, and cows were walking and eating ceremonial flowers that had fallen onto the ground.
The experience was a surreal way to end our India adventure. Tomorrow we take a train to Nepal and brave a whole new world. Namaste.
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