A body is carried through the crowd of mourners at Varanasi’s main cremation ghat along the holy River Ganges. Following the ritual washing of the body it is then ready to be put on the fire. Bodies are burnt with wood and it is here in Varanasi that is the most important place for Hindus to die and be cremated in. Hundreds of bodies are cremated daily using massive amounts of timber which in turn is destroying the natural forests of India at a rapid rate. Varanasi is India’s most sacred city for Hindus and one of its oldest. October 31, 2015.