Varanasi is a crazy place. It is super spiritual. It is the home of the famous Ganges with all the Ghats. The river is so polluted it is considered septic. With this being said it is a sight to see thousands of people everyday going and bathing and washing their clothes at the rivers banks. I actually saw people drink the water. It is sacred to the Hindu. Varanasi is said to be the closest place on earth to Nirvana. So with the combination of the Ganges and the location of Varanasi, many many Hindus travel thousands of miles to come die here.
The banks of the Ganges works as a crematorium 24 hours a day. The initial flame was lit over 3 thousand years ago and has never been lost. You can sit there and just watch body after body being burned. There is special ceremony for each family depending how who is there. Children 10 and under can not be burned because they are too Innocent. The are tied to weight and taken to the middle of the Ganges and sent to the bottom. It was an indescribable experience seeing all this before my eyes. After hearing all this we put together that the old man on the train most likely was on his way here to live his last few days. It was a weird feeling once we realized that.
The city its self was unique. The streets were too narrow for a car. You couldn't walk 30 feet with out running into a cow or a goat. On either side of you were buildings about 40-50 feet high. It was like one huge maze. The streets are dirty with cow poo, dead animals and trash. So much trash everywhere. They don't have any type of waste management here in India and you can definitely tell. I honestly don't think I will see another place like this one. It was great to see and experience, but I don't think I am going to miss Varanasi.
The banks of the Ganges works as a crematorium 24 hours a day. The initial flame was lit over 3 thousand years ago and has never been lost. You can sit there and just watch body after body being burned. There is special ceremony for each family depending how who is there. Children 10 and under can not be burned because they are too Innocent. The are tied to weight and taken to the middle of the Ganges and sent to the bottom. It was an indescribable experience seeing all this before my eyes. After hearing all this we put together that the old man on the train most likely was on his way here to live his last few days. It was a weird feeling once we realized that.
The city its self was unique. The streets were too narrow for a car. You couldn't walk 30 feet with out running into a cow or a goat. On either side of you were buildings about 40-50 feet high. It was like one huge maze. The streets are dirty with cow poo, dead animals and trash. So much trash everywhere. They don't have any type of waste management here in India and you can definitely tell. I honestly don't think I will see another place like this one. It was great to see and experience, but I don't think I am going to miss Varanasi.
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