Blessed by gods, revered by kings: The story behind Nigambodh Ghat, one of Delhi’s oldest crematoriums

The ghat suffered extensive damage in the recent floods. Avdhesh Sharma (42), a supervisor who has been working at Nigambodh Ghat since 2003, said, “The flooding in the Yamuna on July 13 submerged the ghat. Our office, ambulance and all the wood and other equipment got washed away. We are still removing the water and silt and cleaning the premises.”

The ghat has been closed for a week now. “Before the flood, the average number of bodies we used to burn on the ghat stood at 50,” Sharma added.

On the significance of the crematorium, author and historian Swapna Liddle told The Indian Express: “It goes back to mythological times… It is believed that Indra performed sacrifices here.”

Liddle said the fact that Mughal emperor Shahjahan chose to build the Red Fort next to the Ghat had got something to do with the fact that this was

considered a sacred spot. “This belief has been around for a long time. For me, that is the most significant part of this place,” she added.

Liddle, in her book Chandni Chowk: The Mughal City of Old Delhi wrote: “What does not figure in the Persian histories of the period, but undoubtedly was a factor in how Delhi was viewed, was its association with Hindu myth and tradition. Ancient tradition associated Delhi with Indra-prastha, the holy place where Indra, the king of the Gods, had performed sacrifices and worshipped Vishnu. This spot on the bank of the Yamuna was then blessed by Vishnu, who called it ‘Nigambodhak’ where knowledge of Vedas could

be gained simply by taking a dip in the waters… The name Nigambodhak literally meant ‘that which makes known the knowledge of the Vedas’.”

Another excerpt from

the book stated: “… In this way, by locating the city in Delhi, and near Nigambodh Ghat, Shahjahan was drawing on strong traditions of spiritual and temporal power that the populace associated with the site…”