ONTO THE PYRE
The magical realm of death and life is the ‘forbidden’ space. One knows everything about life and nobody knows beyond it. Death is never escapable, and when it happens, the body is free from all pain and suffering. It has always been the reason for mourning and sadness, but the countless corpses brought every day to the Manikarnika Ghat situated at the bank of the river Ganga in Banaras city is a vivid example of a place where death is celebrated and is never a reason for unhappiness. The departed bodies are not wrapped in a white shroud but enshrouded in elaborated, colorful, vibrant red cloth, as is done for a bride when she is sent forever to her husband’s home, ‘bidai’, from her father’s doorstep. The feelings resonate similar intentions where the souls are sent to the other world, to their original homes, to the supreme God, Shiva , for moksha . The experience that one receives at Manikarnika Ghat is unexplainable in words. It is one such crematorium where anyone can at...