Ayothya - The long awaited travel

Last week, I had the privilege of visiting Ayodhya and Varanasi.

In Ayodhya, my heart longed for the darshan of Shri Ram — a place sanctified and restored after a prolonged struggle, both in the courts and beyond. Standing there, I felt the weight of history and the blessing of the divine.

From there, I journeyed to Varanasi, to bow before Vishwanath ji and to perform the sacred Thithi.

One serene evening, I found myself seated at the ghats near Kedar Ghat temple. The Ganga flowed majestically, full yet tranquil, as though cradling the twilight in her embrace. With the power supply gone, darkness settled over the city — but the river herself glowed, lit by the fading sun. Here and there, boats drifted gently, carrying little lamps that flickered like stars upon the waters. The air vibrated with the sound of Vedic chants, timeless and resonant.

In that moment, I felt eternity brush past me — a truly soulful experience, etched forever in memory.

Bodies were seen cremated in Many Ghats. I was wondering, why Hindus and Buddists preferred river banks for cremation; that too close to temples.

The practice of cremating bodies on riverbanks in India and Nepal—especially on the Ganges (Varanasi, Haridwar) in India and the Bagmati (Pashupatinath, Kathmandu) in Nepal—comes from a blend of religious belief, cultural symbolism, and practical reasons.

1. Spiritual & Religious Concepts

Water as purifier: In Hinduism (and also in Buddhist traditions in Nepal), rivers are seen as sacred. Especially the Ganga is considered to have divine origins and the power to cleanse sins. Dying near or being cremated on its banks is believed to help the soul attain moksha (liberation from rebirth).

Returning to the elements: Hindu philosophy (Panchabhutas) holds that the human body is made of five elements — earth, water, fire, air, and space. Cremation by fire dissolves the body back into these elements. Putting the ashes into a flowing river completes the cycle.

Journey of the soul: The river symbolizes a passage—continuous, flowing, eternal. Immersion of ashes is thought to help the soul travel smoothly towards the afterlife.

2. Cultural & Symbolic Reasons

Proximity to sacred temples: Cremation ghats (like Manikarnika in Varanasi or Arya Ghat at Pashupatinath) are often adjacent to ancient temples. Families believe cremation there ensures blessings and spiritual merit.

Community & continuity: The riverside ghats are public spaces, so the rituals happen in view of others. This preserves tradition, continuity, and shared belief across generations.

Ashes swept away by river: Yes, it us right — immersion in a flowing river ensures that ashes are carried away, symbolizing the soul’s release from worldly ties.

3. Practical & Scientific Aspects

River as disposal medium: Flowing water disperses remains and reduces the chance of contamination at the cremation site itself.

Ease of cremation: Riverbanks provide flat open spaces, easy access to wood, and continuous water supply needed for rituals (sprinkling, cleansing, extinguishing embers).

Fire as a natural disinfectant: Burning the body prevents spread of disease that might happen if bodies were buried shallowly (especially in flood-prone areas near rivers).

4. Additional Historical/Environmental Angle

In ancient times, burial was less common in the Gangetic plains because the soil was alluvial and rivers flooded frequently. Cremation ensured remains weren’t unearthed or disturbed.

The ashes in rivers also had symbolic ecological meaning — returning nutrients to nature. Though, with today’s population, this has become an environmental challenge.

So in short: It’s a blend of faith (purification, moksha), symbolism (flow of life, release of soul), practicality (fire + water safety), and geography (floodplains).