Bodies and Beaches

Just returned from the overnight train from Puri at 0800. The trip felt like it was over before it began. We arrived to the quiet beach town of Puri at 0500 a couple days ago. After negotiating a rickshaw driver for a ride to the beach, we arrived...escaping the hustle bustle of the city to a serene beach. The local fisherman collectively launched boats from the shore, one-by-one, like a completed puzzle taken apart one piece at a time. It was rhythmic to watch and since it was early and nothing was open, that is how we spent a few hours. After sunrise we checked into a guest house on the beach. Rebecca (another volunteer) and I walked the town, ate lunch and visited a few temples. We relaxed on the beach and caught up on reading in the afternoon. Ann joined us later in the day and we toured the local village. Babies were handed to us and random arms emerged from huts motioning us to come inside. We met up with a man our friends from CRAWL had spent time with a few weeks ago and took him and his fiance to dinner. It was a little awkward since she didn't speak English, but the whole evening was both enjoyable and relaxing.

The next morning I went for a run on the beach. People stopped me a few times, mid-run, to shove a camera in my face and say 'photo?' A simple head nod from me was all they needed to giggle, hand their camera to a friend and come pose with this strange white girl. I don't know if people in Puri send holiday pictures like we do, but if so, I think I will be in many Indian holiday greeting cards. We took a rickshaw to the Sun Temple, a gorgeous and immaculate temple one hour outside of Puri. It is a holy place where people come both to vacation and pilgrimage. It was an honor to see a place revered so much by the people.

I met Ann on the beach later and she was with a gentleman from Canada who travels 6 months of every year. She said they were going to see the 'burning bodies' and asked if I wanted to join. How could I resist tagging along for that? We walked 45 minutes down the beach until we reached a small open space where cows were lazily walking about. There were three small fires and a few scattered people. I thought maybe I had misunderstood where they said they were going until I noticed something at the end of one fire. Two delicate feet were softly crossed and slightly extended from the bonfire. I walked to the other side and saw an entire body trapped under planks of wood. Encircling the fire were random flowers. I noticed a similar setup with the other fires. There was a bloody circle near a group of women were I think an animal was sacrificed earlier in the day. At the top of a cement staircase, a group of men walked toward the fires carrying a dead man's body draped in white and covered in orange flowers. They took him near the other fires and set his body down. A hole was dug, wooden planks placed and prayers were said. The dead man's body was then set on fire while family and community members watched. This is death in the Hindu culture. The bodies are burned and ashes are taken by the oldest son and kept in the family home. It is a complex web of rituals and religion, dictated by money, the caste system and gender. In Varanasi, the town we will visit next weekend, I think the concept of death within India will become more clear, as it is the holiest city and being burned and discarded in the Ganges river breaks the karmic cycle and your spirit is free.

We took the night train and my mind was consumed with the imagery of India. Love it or hate it, India will change you.