CALCUTTA, CONTINUED.—DEPARTURE FOR BENARES.
The letter about Calcutta continued as follows:
"From the Hoogly bridge we went to see the famous Burning Ghaut, where the Hindoos dispose of their dead. Ghaut means 'steps,' and the Burning Ghaut is nothing more nor less than a series of steps on the bank of the river, with a wide platform at the top.
THE BURNING GHAUT AT CALCUTTA.
"When we entered the place the sight that met our eyes was anything but pleasing. The Burning Ghaut is the place where the Hindoos burn their dead, and it is situated on the banks of the Hoogly, a branch of the Ganges, in order that when the cremation is finished the ashes may be thrown into the sacred river and swept away to sea. The bodies to be burnt are placed on piles of wood, and the torch is applied by one of the relatives of the deceased. If the person was wealthy there is generally a large assemblage of mourners, some of them being relatives, and others hired for the occasion; all are dressed in white robes of a peculiar pattern, such as are worn only by mourners, and the sounds of lamentation are often very loud and prolonged. But if the deceased individual was poor the ceremony is very brief, and there are no mourners, nor is the funeral pile as large as in the other case.
"It is said that formerly the priests used to put out the fires before the bodies were half consumed, in order to save the wood; the remains were then thrown into the river and floated down among or past the shipping. There were so many complaints of the disagreeable sights forced upon those who were coming up the river, that the Government has of late years stationed an officer at the Burning Ghaut to see that the work is properly done, and only the ashes find their way into the Ganges.
"As we came into the place we saw the body of a man lying upon a pile of wood from which the flames were rising; near the head of the pile stood a crowd of mourners singing a funeral song or chant, and two or three vultures were perched on the wall above them. A funeral party had just arrived, and the men who attended to the burning were rushing about to prepare the pile for the new-comer. We only remained a few minutes, as a very brief survey of the scene was quite enough to gratify our curiosity.
"The worst sight of all was in a bamboo shed at the side of the ghaut farthest from the river, where two or three dying persons were lying on mats, and evidently near the end of their lives. Doctor Bronson says it is the custom of the Hindoos, when a man is supposed to be sick unto death, to carry him to the bank of the river, so that he may die with his eyes looking on the sacred waters. They pour water in his face, and stuff his mouth with mud from the bank of the stream, and his death is generally hastened along pretty rapidly. If he should recover, which sometimes happens, after this ceremony is performed, his friends will not recognize him, and he is ever after treated as an outcast; his property is divided among his heirs, and he is considered legally dead, without any rights whatever. No one will associate with him, and he finds life such a burden that he is usually glad to end his troubles by throwing himself into the river.