Varanasi is built on the banks of the Ganga (Ganges) river. Both the river and the city are considered sacred by Hindus. It is the goal of every Hindu to visit Varanasi at least once in their lifetime.The most distinguishing feature of the city is its ghats . They are the hub of religious and social activity. Thousands of pilgrims visit the city each day, to bathe in the river, to make offerings to the gods. 

Perhaps the most extraordinary activity that takes place along the ghats is the public cremation of bodies. The one in the image is the main burning ghat, where a dozen or so cremations happen at any time. Bodies are burned non-stop, all day and all night, several hundred each day. Each one is wrapped in a white Muslim cloth and placed in its own stack of wood. It takes 2-3 hours for the body to be reduced to ashes. Hindus believe that if you die in Varanasi, you are guaranteed release from the birth and rebirth cycle. Being cremated in Varanasi is considered a desirable thing.