"Manikarnika Ghat - The burning Ghat" Varanasi Travelogue by Willettsworld

This is one of the most famous and auspicious ghats in Varanasi. A pre historic ghat, Manikarnika ghat is the place where dead bodies of Hindus are cremated. It is said that if a person dies in Varanasi, he/she will be free from the cycle of re-birth. Manikarnika ghat is said to exist from the times of 'Ramayana' and that fire on the ghat has not stopped for thousands of years. I witnessed a few corpses being cremated. Don't worry about seeing bare bodies as they're covered in cloth of differing colours to signify whether the corpse is male or female. I also witnessed a couple of corpses being carried on bamboo stretchers down the alleyways to the ghat. The only way I could show my respect was to bow my head and not stare. It's a very howrowing and unique scene. You will see many wetsern tourists simply sitting near the ghat in order to watch what happens. At the back of the ghat are large orderly piles of firewood. These are stacked in order of weight so that the price of wood is determined as just the right amount of wood is used to completely incinerate a corpse.