The Ganges River is sacred to Hindus, who dream of bathing in, or dying next to, its purifying waters. As a tributary of the Ganges, the Bagmati River through Kathmandu is equally holy; the ashes if a person cremated on its banks will eventually find their way to the Mother of Waters.
The cremation rites are, of necessity, public. Tourists may watch and photograph from the opposite bank, but it’s hoped they’ll do so quietly and respectfully. Every deceased --- rich, poor, or nobility --- comes to the riverbank on a simple bamboo stretcher, wrapped in a simple shroud. Coffins are only for those who died far away and needed to be brought home for their farewell. Many families do everything themselves; higher castes may hire others to make the preparations. By tradition, the eldest son lights his father’s funeral pyre.
My guide pointed to a large stone building, looking much like a hotel, overlooking the river. It was, he said, an ancient form of hospice --- a place where the hopelessly ill could die in peace, next to a river that would carry their ashes to the purifying waters of the Ganges.