The sacred city of Banāras on the River Ganges is one of the oldest living cities in the world—as old as Jerusalem, Athens, and Peking. It is the place where

A study of Hindu death rituals and the sacred specialists who perform them in the Indian city of Banaras.

By focusing on contemporary popular religious traditions, the book represents a substantial contribution to the study of modern religious practices in Banaras,

The city of Banaras is widely known as a unique, impressive and particularly ancient historical place. But for many it is above all a universal, cosmic, and in