India: All Roads Lead to Benares | Deadliest Journeys

Benares, in the North-East of India, the most important holy city of the country… Planted on the banks of the Ganges, sacred river par excellence, few places in India are as colorful, chaotic and imbued with spirituality as Benares… Hindus cremate their dead, but to be sure that they reach paradise directly by avoiding the cycle of reincarnations, it must be done in Benares… Every day, strange funeral processions converge on the city, some come from very away... Then, in the tumult of the crowd and the traffic, the corpse is carried on the back of a man through the streets, for several kilometers to the bank of the Ganges... From the four corners of the country, every week, thousands of tons of wood arrive in Benares…Cremations are the main reason for this…It happens that up to 300 bodies are burned per day, such a flow imposes a bewildering stock of logs…The “wood route” is a huge business shared by a few local families… India and st also the world's leading producer of coal and all around Benares, open pit mines abound... Once extracted, the precious ore reaches the city's giant deposits by road... Throughout the year, thousands of pilgrims go to Benares to immerse themselves in the Ganges… We wash away our sins there, we implore the deities… By train, bus, tractor and even on foot, all means of transport are good to reach safely…

[AmetraGhag]

Major props to the brilliant minds behind the making of this masterpiece.

[jandedick]

I’ve said this before that I’d rather walk through the ruins of the forth reactor at Chernobyl then bathe in the Ganges river!

[blowrjy]

great job by those who made the film. Gives gratitude for what you have when you see such difficulties in life

[wandawarthog]

I’ve watched a few programs about this subject before…….this one stands above all others. Amazing story telling and cinematography. Thank you.

[nelly_kamau]

Gotta give props to the cameraman..everything is captured and filmed perfectly ❤

[garymoore]

What a brilliant documentary. Very insightful. Well produced and scripted well. I love Indian people. I find them to be friendly, helpful and positive. Their daily challenges are incomprehensible to my way of life. I was lucky enough to be born in to a country where life is less challenging where I have access to services to services to make like less challenging. The people in this video are so humble, grateful and always smiling. People in my country, Scotland, take so many things for granted and like to complain alot. They should take a leaf out these guys book. ❤

[deidradahl]

I know there are some great narrators, but this one along with his crew are among the top ten. I have watched all of his videos, the subjects are well selected. However, I cannot get enough of his voice delivery, and outstanding work of the crew.

[danyan]

WOW, I should remember this movie, every time I said my life is hard ...

[raghu]

The translation voice over is the best unintentional comedy. The way the questions are asked and answered are hillarious😂😂😂. I can watch these all day long 😂😂😂😂😂

[bhattacharjeesurajit]

One of the best documentaries True Life of Banaras & Hindu Lifestyle, that area good side & side of our Ganges, thank you for the great document.

[Boiadeee]

After watching videos like that i love Europe and west world a bit more every time...😁😁

[timothyhilton]

Thank you for this documentary which gave me many more insights into the challenges of pilgrimage and the sub structures that support the cremation rituals there. I traveled to Varanassi in 1996 and stayed 3 weeks. It was a very difficult journey from the southern most tip of India. Didn't know if I could make it, but I did. Not sure I ever want to go back...but maybe its not necessary. Thank you Goddess Ganga!!

[newhorizon]

More action-packed than an Indiana Jones movie. Kudos to the (truly) breath-taking camera work, and the (truly) in-you-face interaction with the local folks. Too bad there is no opening/closing credits to know who did what.

[boomer]

I watched another documentary on the Ganges that had a segment on Benares. I find it amazing, the resilience of the human body, if anyone from America or England went there and bathed in the Ganges they would likely fall VERY sick because there body is not custom to the water.
However these people have been bathing in the Ganges and other rivers there whole lives. There body's have adapted to the microorganisms and contaminants. The human body is an amazing organism.
I watch these documentary's when I feel down or depressed in my life, all of us feel like the challenges of life keep grinding us down but when I think about how much harder life is for others in the world, I get over feeling sorry for myself and be grateful for the life I have.

[angelikakoklenkova]

Я прослезилась от этого видео)))...оно всколыхнуло мои воспоминания))) я была в Варанаси больше 10 лет назад...это было мое первое, длительное путешествие по Индии и это стало отправной точной в моем втором рождении, духовном...Индия лечит и учит!!! это самое экзотичное место на всем белом свете!!! очень трудно живут многие индийцы, но всегда улыбаются и видят хорошее даже в невзгодах...везде есть разные люди: и хорошие и плохие, но мне везло на хороших, улыбчивых и порядочных людей...а я посетила больше 20 мест в Индии за несколько лет, и это были самые лучшие годы в моей жизни!!! считаю Индию моей второй родиной, я там заново родилась после многих проблем в моей жизни!!! Она залечила мои душевные раны и направила на путь истинный))) INDIA- ONE LOVE!!!!

[damarislaguna]

Buenísimo documental diferentes formas de vivir y ver la vida 👍❤️gracias

[radw]

I love the narrator's voice, it reminds me of an old documentary tv show I used to watch when I was a kid. Really good Docummentar!

[ReynardTheFox-dmpy]

Now I can see why so many Indians become NYC taxi seeing this video, NY driving must be a piece of

[nutier]

Awesome video ! I love it so much . Thank you for sharing it with pleasure . Happy week to you !

[ianoliver]

I visited Varanasi back in 2003. I spent a day there; I was based in New Delhi for my two-week holiday. So I took a boat ride on the Ganges River and at one point our guide, who was Indian of course, rowed the boat towards the shore and then we saw the famous burning ghats where locals were cremated. Hindus believe that by bathing in the river and being cremated here will end the reincarnation cycle and allow them to reach Nirvana.