Manikarnika: Dying the Good Death

Varanasi by the Ganges, is a city of pilgrimage and devotion which every Hindu will endeavour to visit at some point in their lives. The ganga (water) of the holy Ganges and the fire of the burning ghats where cremations occur, mark the beginning and end of the path to Moksha or Nirvana . To be cremated in Varanasi is to escape the cycle of reincarnation and to reach Nirvana. Many will travel from far to die in Varanasi. Manikarnika, is the main Burning Ghat in Varanasi, and these photographs are part of a larger project to document the lives of the Doms or untouchables who for generations have been in charge of the cremations.