Buddha and Burning People

This morning it was a little cooler, probably somewhere in the 90s, to I headed to Sarnath, a town 10 kilometers from Varanasi where Buddha preached his first sermon after enlightenment, introducing his followers to Darmachakra, or the Wheel of Law. Now, you can see the ruins of the temple that was later built there, as well as a 6th century stupa, or short, round obelisk, commemorating Buddha’s presence there as a teacher. It was a really pretty place – all of these red-clay brick structures in ruins contrasted nicely with the green grass. People had put little squares of gold leaf on the images of Buddha and certain temples, so pieces of the buildings sparkled in the sun. I was marveling at the landscaping and wondering how they kept it so green in the heat, and so perfectly shorn – and then I saw two women, one in a yellow sari, one in red, using small scythes to perfectly trim the grass. It was crazy. I can’t believe that’s cheaper than buying a machine and mowing the lawn, but I guess it is. Their kids were wondering around the monuments, pestering me and other passers-by with their very helpful tour in broken English – ma’am, it’s a house. Very cheap house. Ma’am, look, it scares (I think they meant ‘stairs’). A family from a few miles away was picnicking there, and invited me to a glass of Pepsi. We exchanged some info about where we’re from, how many people are in my family, and then we ran out of vocabulary! I hid in the mall for the afternoon, enjoying the AC and checking out middle class Indians shopping and getting henna designs put on their hands. Then I went back down to the Ganges to check out the Ghat where they burn the dead – you put your beloved in a white shroud, and they build a pyre over them. The pyre burns for 3 hours, and then the ashes are washed to sea. The glow seemed lurid as I walked up in the dark, and I was a little nervous – but then I thought, hey, we cremate everyone in my family and put them to sea. It might have been nice to be there for the cremation together as a family. I tried to be as discreet as possible, but even in the dark I’m not that discreet, so I left quickly – wouldn’t want to disturb the grieving families.

Sorry, no pictures today – the camera pass was expensive at Sarnath, and it seemed wrong to take photos of the pyres (as I did yesterday – doh!).