Varanasi

In many states of India, Hinduism permeates daily life. In some Hindu majority states, vegetarianism is strictly observed, not even egg is to be found on the menu, and some states forbid alcohol. Midway down the flow of the holy Ganges River, lies one of the most sacred cities for Hindus, Varanasi. Here believers in the thousands wash away their sins bathing in the Ganges. More importantly, people come here to die, as a death at this location on the Ganges is believed to release one from the cycle of birth and death. On a daily basis, hundreds of dead Hindus are burned atop individual towers of wood, on the shores of the river. As my guidebook puts it, this city is where the most intimate rituals of life and death take place in public.

But underneath the ceremony is a river struggling to breathe. Along the same area where sins are washed away, 30 large sewers are continuously spewing their discharge into the river. The results are frightening. The water is septic-no dissolved oxygen exists; the concentration of fecal bacteria is 1.5 million per liter, a safe rate for bathing water is only 500 per liter, a constant battle against water borne diseases ensues.
I didn’t shoot many pics to respect all the ceremonies taking place. The first photo of sunrise is mine, the priest and burning ghat I grabbed off Flickr.