A shamshan ghat is a platform for Hindu and Sikh cremations, typically located near a river. Bodies are cremated quickly and handled only by family members. The ghat is often located near stairs along the riverbank, and the bodies are wrapped in white and ocher cloth and burned on wooden pyres soaked in ghee. After the ashes are scattered, the family distributes alms and food to the poor and undertakes mourning rituals. In some regions, cremation is prohibited, and crematoria may offer symbolic ghee pots. Some find the practice unpleasant, but it is an important tradition for many.
A shamshan ghat or cremation ground is a platform designed for the cremation of bodies by members of the Hindu faith; Sikhs also use shamshan ghat. Typically, a shamshan ghat is located near a river, so that the ashes can be thrown and carried away according to Hindu tradition. Many major cities of India have shamshan ghats for the use of their citizens and such structures are also found in prominent places along major rivers, such as the Ganges.
Members of the Hindu faith have been cremating their dead for centuries, in accordance with their religious beliefs. By tradition, bodies are cremated as quickly as possible after death, typically within six hours, and are handled only by the family of the deceased. Fire is believed to be purifying and will help prepare the soul for future journeys.
The word “ghat” means “stairs” and is a reference to the steps built along the river banks to make it easier to access the river. A shamshan ghat is typically located at or very close to such a set of stairs, and in some regions, there may be a row of such structures, allowing people to hold several funerals at the same time. The bodies are wrapped in a white and ocher cloth, decorated with flowers and placed on wooden pyres soaked in ghee to be burned in a traditional open-air cremation.
If possible, the child of the deceased lights the fire on the shamshan ghat as a last act of love for his parent. Once the body has been reduced to ashes, the ashes are scattered and the family distributes alms and food to the poor before undertaking a series of mourning rituals that can last for two weeks or more.
In some regions, the use of a shanshan ghat is prohibitive and Hindus may be cremated in crematoria or even buried. Many crematoria that offer Hindu cremation allow family members to place a symbolic pot of ghee in the retort with the body, which represents the traditional ghee used to light the fire during a riverside cremation.
Some people find the practice of riverside cremation in a shamshan ghat unpleasant or repugnant, even though when done properly, it is perfectly hygienic. For family members it is also an important and cathartic act that allows them to honor the deceased in the same way that members of their faith have done for centuries. In areas where shamshan ghats are scarce or attempts are being made to ban them, activists sometimes step forward to preserve them for future generations.
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