A Trip to Haridwar - the repository of eternal peace by J.N.Vohra

This was a traditional trip to immerse the skeletal remains and ash residue (cremains) of my elder brother-in-law (Jijaji) in sacred Ganga, after the local cremation and other rites were done with. I opted to go to Haridwar, along with the sons of the deceased and other relatives.

The Cremation Rituals

Hindus Cremate the human body by consigning it to the scared fire. The cremains are sacrosanct object of religious rites, immersing the same at Haridwar (most Sikhs go to Kiratpur for this purpose) help the soul of the dead to attain eternal peace and is a prevailing Hindu religious tradition and belief.

I take it that in India, custom of cremation is as old as ‘Hindu Way of Life’ and over a period of time perpectuated into a fundamental and abiding tradition.

But after reading (Encyclopedia of Death and Dying), I came to know that cremation rituals were also performed in ancient times in Europe. With the increasing predominance of Christianity in Europe after the fifth century C.E., cremation was gradually abandoned in favor of earth burial as a symbol of the ‘burial and resurrection’ of Christ.

Rituals at Haridwar

Haridwar, the place where the Ganges (length about 1500 miles) descends to the plains for the first time, after flowing for 253 kilometres from its source-Gangotri Glacier, was referred to as Gangadwára in ancient times.

As we know, the importance of Haridwar lies in Hindus mythology that while Samudra manthan (The churning of the ocean of milk) drops of Amrit, the elixir of immortality, accidentally spilled over from the pitcher while being carried by the celestial bird Garuda. The very thought that we were at such a place was a celestial experience.

After immersing the sacred ashes at ‘Sati Ghat"in Kankhal about 3-4km south of the Haridwar, we came to Har-ki-Pauri (many immerse the ashes here also), the main bathing Ghat.

It is a long standing tradition amongst Hindus to record their names and reasons for visiting Haridwar with their family priest (panda) that maintains the record of Gotra (lineage assigned to a Hindu at birth or vansh) of family visitors, the purpose of their visit and the name of the dead, if that was the reason for visiting Haridwar. On reaching at Har-Ki-Pauri we enquired for the dedicated priest of the family Gotra of the deceased from a way side stranger. Amongst millions who had gathered at Har-Ki-Pauri, he directed us to a Ghat of our family priest with certainty.

The designated pedigree priest asked us a few questions – starting with the purpose of our visit, the Gotra of the dead, the village of the ancestors etc. Even though not fully satisfied with jumbled up and uncertain answers, particularly regarding Gotra and the ancestral village, now located at other side of the partitioned India, yet the priest, sitting in his 7’ x 7’ dimly lit room, whiffing times gone by, went into his job with dexterity looking through the pages of ‘long paged registers’ (Vahis), preserved in strong iron closet for more than 2 centuries -considered to be the repository of family trees, particularly of North Indians. Lo and behold, with computer like speed and accuracy, he started reeling out the family names who visited Hardiwar and the purpose of their visit, starting with the name of the deceased. Tree of family descendants of five generations started unfolding that gleamed up the faces of all of us with awe.

Research for knowldge

After all the rites of our visit were over, I sat down to ask certain questions from the priest, as a research for knowldge, which went on flurring my mind as we went through various rituals at Haridwar.

Why people take bath at Har-ki-Pauri? Upfront was the reply from the knowledgeable priest that the ‘drops of Amrit’ were spilled at that place. The scientific explaination, which I understood, that at Har-ki-Pauri the water of the Ganges is in its purest form after having been whirled and sieved through stones and pebbles during its downstream journey from the hilly terrain, was not endearing to the priest.

Why the ashes are immersed at Kankhal? The Priest, after assimilating his years old wisdom told me that a Gurudwara-situated near Sati Ghat, was built to commemorate the visits of third Sikh Guru, Guru Amar Das, and people, particularly Punjabies chose this place to immerse ashes. But what I sensed was that with the Sagacity of visiting Gurus, Kankhal, a small town 4Km south of Har-ki-Pauri, was chosen perhaps as an ideal place for immersing the cremains, as the Ganges leaves the Haridwar periphery at this place. That cremains would come in the way of various down stream bathing Ghats where millions take a holy dip, if Immersed at Har-Ki-Pauri.

According to a report, the river Ganges has been identified as one of the most polluted rivers in the world, since apart from sewage disposal, half-burnt human bodies are also immersed in Ganges. All said and done, faith is stronger than any scientific reasoning.

The next question on family records (genealogy book) puffed up the preist and he said that for more than four hundred years they have recorded in hand written registers that passed down to them over generations by their Pandit ancestors. The importance of these records is that you can trace your lineage and prepare a family tree past many centuries. The records are also accepted as legal document in cases of inheritance fights, disclosed the Preist.

Lately, I learnt that starting around 1977, Hindu genealogy records were microfilmed, and later kept at the Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU), USA since 1981

Haridwar is incredible! Walking through the banks of Ganges at Har-Ki-Puari, realisation overpowered me that our great grandparents, coming from remote places, now in West Pakistan, must have walked through the same steps, as a tourist or carrying the remains of the dead of near and dear ones. But the perennial flow of Ganges reminds us that life goes on.