Death. Hindus believe that if their bodies are burned in Varanasi and their ashes are thrown in the Ganges afterwards, they will escape the endless reincarnation and achieve "moksha" - a state of heavenly liberation. Normally, it's not allowed to photograph the burning of the dead, but I obtained a permission from the authorities and from the family of Lalli Devi - a 90-year-old woman of middle caste who was burned in May 2004. The next pictures show the burning of Lalli Devi.