By the River

Stretching along the river Ganges rests Varanasi, a place where devout Hindus go to die in hopes of achieving moksha. Hindu scriptures say that a soul has to undergo 8.4 million rebirths before reaching the human form and dying in Varanasi and being cremated along the river is believed to be the ideal way of achieving moksha. Several so-called 'death hotels' accommodate believers who come here in wait for death some for as long as 40 years.