Ghats on the Ganges

We cruised the Ganges last night on a sunset boat trip and then again this morning for the sunrise.  Not only is the lighting much better for pictures, but it's the only time the temperature is bearable.
Our sunset cruise was with a 4th generation boatman, borne into that caste. He told a little history about the various temples, palaces and ceremonies. The most interesting, for Ilana and me, was the burning ghats where traditional cremation is performed. Apparently it is a 3 hour ceremony in which the body is wrapped in thin cotton, submerged in the Ganges, and 5 scoops of the holy water placed into the mouth.
We witnessed one body being consumed by fire, another was about to be ignited by the holy fire that has been kept going in the temple for a thousand years. Then after we cruised past the big sunset ceremony at the main ghat, we saw a small boat cross our stern with a body draped across their bow. The poor cannot afford the pomp and circumstance (wood, priests, live music) of a formal cremation. When they got to the middle of the river, they slid the body into the river.

For our sunrise cruise we had a less informative boatman, but it was lovely watching the holy city of Varanasi wake up.