Varanassi

Varanasi is possibly the oldest, continuosly inhabited city on Earth. People have been living ther for around 5000 years. Prab met us at the railway station and had organised two cars to get us            Pedal Rickshaw Breakfast Assi Ghat  Open Hand Cafe and shop At the Burning Ghat we stopped to watch the and a guy started to explain the process. He said that it take 340 kgs of wood to properly cremate the body of an adult. The wood they use here has been trucked up from around Goa in southern India. If there was not enough wood the entire body would not be burnt. There is a flame that has been kept burning continuously for 4500 years that is used to light the funeral pyre. The burning goes on 24 hours a day, with processions arriving all the time. The body, which is rubbed down with butter fat and wrapped in cloth is tied onto a sling in between two long bamboo poles, is carried by four male members of the deceased person's family. Only men are involved, because females have a "weaker heart" and they may get emotional. The body, is carried down and immersed in the water. It is then left just in the water as each member of the funeral party tips Mother Ganges river water into the mouth five times. The colourful ceremonial wrappings are then removed and the wrapped body, with face still exposed is carried over and laid on a pile of wood that has been neatly stacked. A few more logs are placed on top of the body, and usually the eldest son will light the fire. He will have shaved his head and be wearing a white cloth. He will bring burning straw from the holy fire, and try to get the fire started in the wood underneath the body. As the fire burns, the people who attend them use long bamboo poles to shift the burning logs to keep the fire burning well, and to keep the body parts in the fire. They may need to put an arm, or leg back in to the fire. Each day the family that is in charge of the "Burning", scrapes up the ashes and has people go through them for jewellry and precious stones. Children under 10 and lepers don't get burnt, but instead get taken in a boat, out to the middle of the river, and with a large stone tied to them, dropped overboard. Auto Rickshaw Prab needed to fill out paperwork for all people staying in his house, the same as they do in the hotels. Within 24 hours of arrival they have to notify the Indian Intelligence Service The burning chair Boat ride in the morning in the fog - in the afternoon the sun came out lots of kites above the ghats posting stuff home, packaging, Open Hand, Cafe Aum elephants Taxi to the station