点评:There are some experiences in life that as a Western traveller, you can’t really prepare for, and this is one of them. One of the holiest Hindu pilgrimage sites in Asia, there are practices undertaken here that have been happening for hundreds maybe thousands of years. The complex takes in ten different sites including the peaceful Gorakhnath Mandir where you are surrounded by many Shivalaya’s – Shiva shrines close to a wooded area. There are several busy Hindu temples. As a non-Hindu, you can only view these from the outside, but it is still possible to admire the architecture. There are colourful dreadlocked holy men known as Sadhus, people offering meditation with healing bowls and fortune tellers all derived from the mysticism of history.
The last and most striking images are of cremation. When we visited we saw the family of a deceased person bring down their wrapped body to the rivers edge where they carefully applied purification rights to the head and feet. From here it is taken around 100 meters to a funeral pyre at the edge of the river where a wood structure was already prepared. It is set alight. When the process is finished the ashes are raked into the river. There were at least six of these ceremonies taking place when we visited. It is possible to view the process from across the river at a respectful distance.
Entry to the site is 1000 rupees per person.
翻译:生活中有些经历是西方旅行者无法真正准备的,这就是其中之一。作为亚洲最神圣的印度教朝圣地之一,这里进行的活动已有数百年甚至数千年的历史。该建筑群包括十个不同的场所,包括宁静的 Gorakhnath Mandir,周围环绕着许多 Shivalaya – 靠近森林地区的湿婆神殿。这里有几座繁忙的印度教寺庙。作为非印度教徒,您只能从外面观看这些寺庙,但仍然可以欣赏其建筑。这里有被称为 Sadhus 的色彩鲜艳的长发圣人,人们用治疗碗进行冥想,还有算命先生,所有这些都源于历史的神秘主义。
最后也是最引人注目的图像是火葬。我们参观时看到死者的家人将包裹好的尸体放到河边,在那里他们仔细地对头部和脚部进行净化。从这里出发,步行约 100 米,到达河边的火葬堆,那里已经准备好了木结构。火葬堆被点燃。过程结束后,骨灰被耙入河中。我们参观时,至少有六场这样的仪式正在举行。可以从河对岸保持一定距离观看整个过程。
进入该遗址的门票是每人 1000 卢比。