Many Hindus dream of being cremated on the banks of the holy Ganges in Varanasi, believing it will free them from the endless cycle of rebirth. But the reality at the city’s cremation ghats, Manikarnika and Harishchandra, is far from peaceful.
At Manikarnika, a dozen funeral pyres burn brightly against soot-stained buildings. The air is thick with smoke and heat, stinging the eyes, while mourners, always men, as tradition demands, move through the tight spaces with little room for quiet reflection. Around them, tourists watch, and stray dogs, goats, and rats rummage through ash, mud, wilted garlands, and bamboo from funeral biers.
This mix of devotion and chaos has played out for centuries in Varanasi, and today, the pressure on the old city is greater than ever as more than half a million people live in its narrow lanes. To ease the strain, the municipal council has hired two companies to upgrade the cremation grounds, adding up to 40 new open and covered platforms, with more space between pyres to give families privacy.
The revamp will also streamline the flow of mourners, priests, and wood suppliers, while improving storage for the 100 daily pyres, each traditionally requiring 600 kg of wood. Architect Ravi Sarangan aims to cut this to 100 kg per pyre, with emissions treated before release.
The project is part of a wider modernisation of Varanasi under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, improving roads and restoring buildings. While monsoon flooding has delayed work, it is scheduled to finish late next year. Even as the ghats are modernised, certain limits remain: narrow passages and pinch points cannot be widened. Officials are exploring alternatives, including bringing bodies to other ghats and transporting them by boat for a more serene final journey, though public discussions on this are yet to begin.