Can the mysterious Indian magnetic mountain really bring people to "heaven"?

"Ganges, the mother river of India, has nurtured the lives of countless people and sent away the souls of countless people." In India, there has always been a traditional custom of cremation, and the Ganges River is a witness to this ancient custom. Varanasi, an ancient cultural city in Uttar Pradesh, is located on the Ganges River. The crematorium there is also world-famous. I personally attended a complete cremation ceremony.

Hindus are convinced that the Ganges River is the daughter of Himalayan Mountain, the king of high hills. Its source is the Milky Way in the sky, so its water can wash and purify the soul. Some people even go to Yokogawa to die before they die. Residents on both sides of the strait carried the body of the deceased to the river for cremation, and let the river take the soul of the deceased to heaven.

A few years ago, when I was studying in India, I saw my teacher off at the crematorium on the banks of the Yokogawa River in varanasi according to the Hindu cremation custom. Mr. Liu is a Peking University scholar and teaches at an Indian university. He collapsed at work because of a heart attack. I was very sad after learning the news. After many consultations, it was decided to hold a funeral ceremony on the spot according to Hindu customs. When the body said goodbye, the school representative and Mr. Liu's friends in India came. Some people present wreaths and rose petals, others bow with their hands folded. In order to respect the customs of China people, the school specially invited a Thai monk to recite the scriptures. After a short ceremony, the body was carried on the truck, and I went to Yokogawa for the final cremation ceremony on behalf of my family.

The truck bumped all the way to the crematorium by the Henghe River. This is a small clearing, a little higher than the river, and there are already several woodpiles burning. Several people with long poles are controlling the fire. These people are the "Chandra" (one of the so-called "untouchables") who specialize in transporting, treating and burning the remains.

On the higher bank, there are several vendors selling garlands, rose petals, sandalwood chips and ghee. As soon as they see someone coming, they come forward to sell. At this time, several people were carrying a body down from the river bank, followed by the undertaker. The man who carried the body walked quickly and recited rhythmically: "Ram, Namu, Sedik! (meaning "the name of Rama is the truth") The body was wrapped in cloth and it was impossible to tell whether it was a male or a female. They carried the body to the river and put it down, and the relatives and friends of the funeral left with them. I think, maybe ordinary believers are like this. Even if the body is sent here, no one will watch the burning process again.

According to an Indian friend, the cremation ceremony usually takes about three or four hours, and then the crematorium staff pushes the ashes and charcoal into the river.

The pyre for our cremation ceremony has been set up. The woodpile is a cuboid, made of arm-thick wood, criss-crossing. The height and width are less than 1 m, and the length is less than 2m. Under the guidance of the field workers, the body was placed directly on it. Because the Ganges River flows from east to west, the head of the body also faces west. At this time, I was reminded to take off the garland on the corpse and throw it into the river, and then sprinkle some water on the corpse from the river. Someone took two pieces of sandalwood sawdust wrapped in paper and sprinkled it on his body, then dug out a can of concentrated ghee and poured it on it. It is said that when cremating, sandalwood sawdust will be added to make the smell better, and ghee will be added to help burn. This practice of adding sandalwood and ghee is still a luxury in the local area, and only wealthier families are willing to give it up.