Several of the ghats are larger and well known, and may host hundreds of bathers at celebration times. Truly, it is a challenge to western sensibilities. Evening Thronging Demand is so high that the main burning ghat often has two or three pyres burning 24 hours a day. The wealthier Hindus who can afford the 25,000 rupee charge are placed on a great stack of wood, receive a brief ceremony, then are burned. It takes 3 hours to burn the bodies in this manner.
Attendants see to it that any dangling feet are pushed back into the heat.
When the time is up, ashes, bones, and other remnants are disposed of in the Ganges. Poorer Hindus can opt for a cheaper electric fire at the second burning ghat. Tourists, including Mary and I, come to witness both the bathing and the burning, as well as to walk the incredibly narrow lanes that allow access to the ghats, and to visit temples and other sites. Of particular fame are the boat trips which can be taken from several ghats. At a point that depends on your chosen length of trip, they allow the boat to float back downstream past the ghats again.