Here is the Ganges - this is at the northern edge of the city:
And this is the central part:
From morning till evening there is busy boat traffic there. On the opposite bank there is also trade and services:
Camel rides.
The ladies' chat.
People are chilling out along the river.
And dancing by the river.
And watching a traditional performance dedicated to the river goddess (Ganga Aarti). But today is not about that - let us head instead into this cloud of smoke:
This is mostly smoke from cremation pyres (mixed with boat fumes). When the weather doesn't help, these clouds just hang over the river.
Manikarnika cremation ghat
In Varanasi there are two cremation ghats - Manikarnika and Harishchandra Ghat. The first one is bigger, but the scammers there are too pushy - it is just too disturbing.
They spot foreigners to try to
- sell them guide services and "permission" to take photos
- or to catch them breaking the no-photo rule and squeeze money out of them. The most upgraded scenario: they explain you that you must make a donation for firewood, as it is very expensive...
Did I experienced this myself? Yes, back in 2014. A young guy caught me taking photos at night. He demanded me to pay for the expensive firewood, and when I offered 60 rupees (1$), he sharply refused, saying that a kilogram of wood costs a lot. He brought me to a nearby hospice - a dark building without any light, without glasses in windows - to see an allegedly dying old woman, whom I was supposed to give money for the wood...
Was I too poor or greedy, or did I just realize that they were putting on a show to intimidate me and pity me, not sure, but I said, "if you don't want 60 rupees, you get nothing." He tried to stop me by force and started yelling that his friends would smash my camera. I pushed him and went on my way... Having left with dignity like a person who was afraid of nothing, I started running as soon as I turned into a backstreet - quite soon I lost an idea where I was in that damn maze of dark lanes... But eventually I survived, lol.
They have no right to collect any fines or demand money, but this scam is old and is part of Manikarnika Ghat life, so it is best to stay polite and not get into trouble.
Harishchandra cremation ghat
At Harishchandra Ghat everything is fine - no scammers - although taking photos isn't allowed there either.
And there are people keeping order, and I was told off once for photographing. So... sharing forbidden pictures.
There are always plenty of onlookers during cremations - people are warming themselves, gazing, and thinking about life.
And if you suddenly want to pee - no problem, lol.
17:20, nothing is burning yet. Let's zoom:
Yes...
Normally, bodies visually just disappear in the flame. But sometimes you can witness wild scenes. I remembered a body partly survived fire with sizzling and bubbling guts lying on the top of its stomach, looking like a snake that crawled out of its burrow and curled up into a ball.
They lit it:
People are just gazing - no mourning, no tears... Never seen these. Probably, because being cremated here means liberation and uniting with God...
What makes a heavier impression is how they carry the body to the pyres. Once in Manikarnika I wandered into a narrow lane going uphill, and suddenly a group of running men appeared coming toward me, exclaiming "Ram! Ram! Ram!", carrying bamboo stretchers with a body on top wrapped in orange fabric. I pressed myself against the wall to let them pass, and still the smell hit me — the sweet smell of incense and body. And then the scene repeated again, and again I pressed myself against the wall and noticed a local passerby did the same and closed his nose with the scarf... This, perhaps, is where the grief was - in this strange run to the river and those yells "Ram! Ram! Ram!"...
I mentioned stretchers and orange fabric; these are them, after bodies are laid on the pyre:
Thrown away, on the right by the river.
The river meanwhile keep living its touristy life: boats keep going up and down the Ganga - many visitors to Varanasi (95% Indians) want to see the cremation fires from the water.
Tourism and dead bodies in one place every day... A strange combo... As strange as life itself...
This is when I was told off:
I said sorry, turned away and kept watching without taking photos.
Honestly, I myself am not that keen on shooting there. Visited these pyres many times, and most of the time just watching without taking images. Just to be a living person, not a 24/7 photographer.
There is nothing sensational about Hindu pyres - local tourists regularly take shots on their phones, as do foreigners who grab a quick 2-3 frames when they get the chance. The ban is exactly for this reason: to make people shoot in a hidden, quick, and limited way rather than turning it into a full photo session at such a sensitive moment as the burning of a dead body. I actually support these efforts.
The photos were taken with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G on a full-frame DSLR Nikon D750 in January and February 2026, in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India