Death in Banaras

by Jonathan P. Parry, Anthony T. Carter (Foreword)

As a place to die, to dispose of the physical remains of the deceased and to perform the rites that ensure that the departed attains a "good state" after death, the north Indian city of Banaras attracts pilgrims and mourners from all over the Hindu world. This book is primarily about the priests and other kinds of "sacred specialists" who serve them, about the way in which they organize their business, and about their representations of death and understandings of the rituals over which they preside.

Genres: Death, Anthropology

344 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 1994

Reviews

[Clint · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the coolest books around on religous practice in Banaras. Besides giving a detailled account of funerary rites, it also details the elongated mourning periods which manifest themselves interestingly in Banaras' unique society. His classic essay on the Aghori sadus will churn your western stomach, but no need to abandon hope yee reader-- I've been to Banaras (or Varanasi) and never saw the holy men fishing corpses out of the Ganga for food . . .

[Nitasha Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Death in Banaras’ is primarily about the Hindu death rituals in Banaras, India. This religious city attracts numerous pilgrims and mourners from all across the country and elsewhere. Parry describes the business of death which surrounds these rituals and the ideological underpinnings of the same. He begins by describing the relationship between the city and death and the ways in which Banaras is represented in its sacred literature. He traces the history of Banaras as a pilgrimage centre and the production and reproduction of the rituals performed by priests and the ‘sacred specialists’ for the thousands of pilgrims and mourners. The later chapters of the book cover the various categories of ritual specialists and the priests, the hierarchy among priests in the business of death, the allocation of opportunities among the ritual performers for performing the death rituals, the manner of remuneration, the ideology of gift-giving in death rituals, the mortuary rituals that surround the disposal of the body (cremation and immersion in the Ganges river) and the series of rituals that follow after the body is disposed. He also briefly mentions the concept of ‘good death’ and ‘bad death’ and draws out the relationship between death and the ideology of sacrifice. In the concluding chapter, he also mentions about the Aghori ascetics and their austere and banal practices that are meant to ‘conquer death by escaping the endless cycle of rebirths’. Jonathan Parry’s writing forms an extremely strong ethnographic narrative which manages to provide a detailed analysis of the symbolism of death rituals and the pilgrimage trade built around it.

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and highly thought-provoking read. An academic contemporary text which clearly articulates a very detailed ethnographic account of his time exploring the spiritual hub of Banaras in North India - more commonly known as Varanasi. Great historical comparative reflections on Hinduism practices which is drawn to a provocative conclusion.