VARANASI, INDIA – JANUARY 28, 2018: A general scene of the cremation ground in Manikarnika Ghat by the Ganga River seen with people”u2019s activity, burning pyres, cows hanging around and dead bodies awaiting the final purification act by being dipped into the river on January 28, 2018 in Varanasi, India. Manikarnika Ghat is one of the holiest among the sacred riverfronts (ghats), alongside the river Ganga. It is believed that a dead human’s soul finds salvation (moksha), when cremated here. Varanasi or Banaras is a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh dating to the 11th century B.C. Regarded as the spiritual capital of India, the city draws Hindu pilgrims who bathe in the Ganges River”u2019s sacred waters and perform funeral rites. Along the city’s winding streets are some 2,000 temples, including Kashi Vishwanath, the “u201cGolden Temple,”u201d dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. (Photo by Kaveh Kazemi/Getty Images)
