Burning in Manikarnika. Varanasi, India. Manikarnika Ghat, on the banks of the sacred Ganges is the main burning ghat in Varanasi (Benares). It is said that this ghat symbolises the principles of both creation and destruction, which are inseparable. This is certainly the most auspicious place for a Hindu to be cremated, as it is believed that dying in Kashi (the city of light) and being cremated here brings Moksha (liberation), thus breaking the cycle of births and deaths. Some also say that Lord Shiva himself whispers the mantra of liberation in the ear of the deceased. Dead bodies are carried here on bamboo stretchers through the alleyways of the old city, and are doused in the Ganges before being cremated. The pyres are then handled by a group of outcasts known as doms, until the whole burning process is over: photo by fredcan, 5 June 2008
bones
slips
Gali, India. Religious images are a common sight in Varanasi (Benares), the holy city of Hindus, as seen here with these two popular wall paintings of Lord Shiva, known as Mahadev in Varanasi, and Ganesha: photo by fredcan, March 2008
The lady & the dog. Life on the ghats in Varanasi (Benares): photo by fredcan, 29 October 2007
Beggars, Varanasi ghats: photo by fredcan, March 2008
With gratitude to fredcan for opening these worlds to us through his lens and to the poet aditya for bringing the work to our eyes
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