Varanasi

The city of Lord Vishnu, the holy Ganges changed its course to bless its walls with its waters. The holiest city in India, Varanasi is mobbed with religious tourists intent on fulfilling their religious duty to bath in its waters. Holy dipping, as Jai refers to it, absolves the Hindu of all of his/her sins. It is also the most auspicious place to die and be cremated. Cremation followed by having the ashes disposed off in the holy river exempts the departed of having to be reincarnated in yet another form. The lucky dead go straight to Nirvana. The town is full of rest homes of elderly, sick people forming a queue to take their turn. 120 cremations are carried out each day at various locations along the Ghats. Cremation burns away sin and there are only five categories of exemptions from cremation -

children under 10 who are too young to have sinned

persons with leprosy on public health grounds

priests, for they cleanse their sins on a daily basis

pregnant women because the unborn child is sin free

people bitten by snakes since this is a curse from the gods and they don't deserve cremation

Cremation is carried out on the day of death if possible, the morning after if not. Some cremation sites are more auspicious and attract top dollar. Various woods are available to match your pocket with sandalwood giving the best burn and smell. The male members of the family escort the body to the river where the eldest son washes the body in the river and it is then left to dry for a little while. Placed on the pyre, the eldest son lights it with a torch which has itself been lit from an eternal flame. It takes around four hours for the process to complete and the family is in attendance all of the time. The ashes are then gathered, blessed and scattered in the water. Remaining long bones are tossed in afterwards. The family dress in simple clothes, eat simple food and withdraw for 12 days to mourn. On the 13th day the inlaws call round with new clothes, good food and the mourning is over.

We saw a pack of dogs escorting a body to the river. They were howling as though distressed and were joined by other dogs who also joined in the howling. Very weird.

We had a sunset cruise on our first night. Crowds gathered on the Ghats for the chanting of prayers by young priests who waved incense and flames in rhythm with their chants. Bells were rung continuously throughout the ceremony. The whole effect was quite moving. As the ceremony drew to its conclusion our boat pulled away from the bank and we were each given a floating candle to light and place in the water together with a secret wish. The little lights floated away together into the distance - again another moving moment.

Up before dawn the following morning for a sunrise cruise, we witnessed young boys been put through their yoga routines by a master yogi. Like young boys everywhere they could hardly be bothered joining in at that time of day.

The sun came up and shimmered over the river. The fishermen cast their nets and the tourist supermarkets pulled up along sides offering all sorts of tat for next to no money at all. Anthony bought a little brass bottle of Ganges water. I don't know how he was going to get it back through American Customs. There were more alien life forms, most of them dangerous than you would care to think in that little bottle. Along the banks the Holy Dippers were thronging the Ghats, the Dhobi wallahs were hanging out the washing and the buffalo drivers were washing their beasts in the holy river, all side by side. In the afternoon we came back to the Ghats and strolled along for a couple of hours doing a bit of people and animal watching.

Later we were driven at breakneck speed through narrow streets to watch silk Saris being made on traditional looms in the muslim quarter. It is a fascinating process requiring incredible dexterity, accuracy and concentration. The resulting products are very beautiful and we were tempted into buying a fabulous silk bedspread which is being shipped home later in the month.

All in all Varanasi is well worth a visit but it is the dirtiest, noisiest city on the planet. The whole party have 'chesty coughs'. God only knows who we have been breathing in.