At Manikarnika Ghat, visitors can watch Hindus burn their dead by the Ganges - an interesting and memorable experience.
However, today I nearly fell victim to a potential scammer. Since non-relatives are, understandably, not allowed near the burning pyres, they can view the process from a building nearby, which I was led to by some locals. When I entered a man said he was running a hospice and that the old people within had come there to die. He then told me quite a lot about the cremation ceremonies being carried out below.
As I left he asked for a donation for the “hospice”, gesturing to the old women sitting on the floor. When I didn’t give money, he got angry and told me I was a bad person and that I shouldn’t come back. However, after checking with two other locals I learnt that this man was not in fact running a hospice, and that he intended to pocket most of the money. Be warned!

Manikarnika Ghat, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

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