20th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Travel
Burning corpses on the Ganges River in Varanasi

Varanasi is the holiest place on the Ganges - the tirtha - the door through which the gods descend to earth, and people go straight to heaven. Hindus call such a place moksha-dhama and believe that liberation is bestowed by fire. In the photo, Schindiya Ghat, a place of burning corpses near the Ganges River

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 11.2022
Date Uploaded: 11.2022
Photo Location: Varanasi, India
Camera: ILCE-7M3
Copyright: © Alena Ahmadullina