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| Dying Silk Thread |
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| Weaving a Silk Wedding Sari |
Today Galina and I took a tour of the silk fabric-making district in the Muslim section of the city. There we saw the dyeing process of the thread, men working in dark buildings
with little light to see as they passed the shuttlecock from side to side in the hand looms, and the hand beading process as they made wedding saris..fascinating! Then it was on to the showroom where they unfurled the shawls, scarves, saris, bedspreads, pillow covers, and more on the padded floor where we sat enthralled at the beauty. Varanasi silk is famous and the variety was unending as they brought out more and more products for purchase.
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| Puja Ceremony |
At 5pm, we embarked on a boat on the river with a couple from Israel for a 2 hour tour. There were 2 pujas happening along the river at the other ghats
that were quite elaborate. Lights were blazing, men were beating drums, music played, and tourists observed as 5 Hindu monks performed lengthy rituals with ghee lamps and incense. As our captain rowed down river, we passed several boathouses along the well-labeled ghats with a painted sign designating the name of each one. Dogs, cows, goats and monkey roamed the steps as boys played some form of cricket using sticks and a rock rather than a ball.
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| Manikarnika Ghat during Cremations |
Smoke rose from the pyres at Manikarnika Ghat as the bodies of the recent dead were cremated - the wealthy closest to the river and the poor further up the steps. The body is first shrouded in a metallic fabric, carried on a bamboo stretcher through the streets, dunked in the river for one last blessing, then set atop the pyre. The metallic fabric is removed leaving another layer of cloth covering the body with the face exposed. A layer of herbs and flowers are scattered over the body and special wood is used to mask the smell. After a priest walks 5 times around, chanting, the fire is lit and burns very hot to complete the cremation process. Interestingly enough, I saw no one mourning. A cow wandered past the fires, discarded fabric and bamboo stretchers. Piles of firewood were stacked high against the surrounding buildings, which were blackened from the smoke. Seeing all this wood made me realize why the train was constantly stopping and loading wood that the locals scavenged and brought in from the surrounding countryside.
