Images of India: Release of the Soul, Manikarnika Ghat, Varanasi 2023
Images of India: In Varanasi, the tradition of lighting the funeral pyre is a significant Hindu ritual. Families bring the deceased to the ghats along the Ganges River, and the body is cremated on a pyre. The belief is that cremation in Varanasi helps achieve moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth. The eldest son or a male relative usually lights the funeral pyre as a sacred duty. This act honors the deceased and invokes divine blessings for the departing soul.
Images of India: Release of the Soul, Manikarnika Ghat, Varanasi 2023
Images of India: In Varanasi, the tradition of lighting the funeral pyre is a significant Hindu ritual. Families bring the deceased to the ghats along the Ganges River, and the body is cremated on a pyre. The belief is that cremation in Varanasi helps achieve moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth. The eldest son or a male relative usually lights the funeral pyre as a sacred duty. This act honors the deceased and invokes divine blessings for the departing soul.