Holy Cow in Varanasi!

For the Chicagoans among you: no, I am not doing a Harry Caray here. I am merely stating the fact that cows are everywhere in Varanasi. Here more so than in other places we have visited, cows are considered holy. If you step into cow dung - and the odds are that that will happen -  in the Varanasi streets or alleys - then good fortune awaits you.

Varanasi is considered the holiest of cities in India. It is the religious epicentre of Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Jainists. The atmosphere is completely different than any of the other big cities we have visited in India. It’s almost peaceful. We don’t get harassed by touts?! Then we notice the policemen everywhere. They are carrying kalashnikovs. The last terrorist attack took place in December 2010 and ever since then, security has been more intense.

Anyway, back to holy Varanasi. Buddha is believed to have given his first sermon in Sarnath (10 km outside of Varanasi). We visit the remains of his monastery, temple and grounds. You would think that there would be more Buddhists in India than the estimated 5 per cent of the population. Yet, since Buddha was born a Hindu, the Hindus cleverly embedded Buddhist elements in their Hindu way of life. The story goes that Buddha became enlightened at the age of 29 and then got very long earlobes. Only intelligent people are believed to have long earlobes. Aren’t we Groens lucky then?!  And according to the guide, Sid has REALLY long earlobes too.

We are on the river Ganges. The sunset’s on fire. Like peeping Toms we are about to witness a burial ritual. It makes us feel uncomfortable. The crematorium on the river bank operates 24/7. Hindus believe that cremation is most spiritually beneficial to the departed soul. If the body is not cremated, "the soul remains nearby for days or months".

The cremation ceremony begins with the ritual cleansing in the Ganges river, dressing and adorning of the body in golden and or yellow silk. The body is then carried to the cremation ground while the mourners (only men, because women are considered impure) are chanting prayers. The chief mourner, usually the eldest son, lights the fire to the pyre upon which the dead has been laid. After the corpse is almost completely burned, the chief mourner performs the 'rite of the skull,' cracking the skull with a long bamboo stick, thus releasing the soul from entrapment in the body. After the cremation, the ashes are thrown into the Ganges and the mourners walk away without looking back. Those who cannot afford a burial ritual, or kids, pregnant women, lepers, etc., are drowned in the Ganges.

Sid read somewhere that 32 sewers continuously discharge into the river. They have found 1,5 million faecal coliform bacteria per 100 ml. (500 is allowed according to the Health Authority). Yet, every morning, Hindu pilgrims gather to do a bathing ritual in the Ganges to cleanse themselves. Happy cleansing.