Delhi's Busiest Cremation Ground : Nigam Bodh Ghat, which was in the news as the venue for the state funeral of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is located on the banks of the Yamuna river, which is not only Delhi's oldest, largest and busiest cremation ground, but is also a favorite spot for bird lovers and photographers. It is believed to have been founded by King Yudhishthira of Indraprastha. This cremation ground has witnessed the cremation of many big leaders from former Union Minister Arun Jaitley to Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder member Sunder Singh Bhandari.

Accused of deliberately insulting Manmohan Singh

The mortal remains of Singh, who led India on the path of economic liberalisation, were cremated here on Saturday. The Congress had demanded that the last rites be performed at a place where a memorial could be built for Singh. But the government said he would be cremated with state honours at the Nigam Bodh Ghat. The Congress called the decision a "deliberate insult to India's first Sikh prime minister". Several eminent leaders, including Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, former vice-president Krishan Kant and former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dixit, were cremated at the Nigam Bodh Ghat.

How did this ghat of Delhi get the name Nigam Bodh?

The Nigam Bodh Ghat has several terraced ghats leading to the Yamuna river. An electric crematorium was constructed here in the 1950s. A CNG-powered crematorium was built here in the early 2000s. According to legends, the ghat is blessed by the gods. One such legend mentioned in a text says that more than 5,500 years ago, during the time of the Mahabharata, when the gods were roaming the earth, Brahma bathed at the ghat and regained his divine memory—which gave the ghat the name Nigam Bodh, which means regaining knowledge.

King Yudhishthira of Indraprastha had constructed the ghat

Another legend mentions that Yudhishthira, the eldest of the Pandava brothers of the Bharata dynasty and the king of Indraprastha, built the ghat. Nowadays, the ghat serves two purposes. It is the largest and busiest cremation ground. It is also a favourite spot for bird watchers and photographers. Author Swapna Lidley writes in her book "Chandni Chowk: The Mughal City of Old Delhi" that according to ancient tradition, Delhi is associated with Indraprastha, the sacred place where the king of gods Indra used to offer sacrifices and worship Lord Vishnu.

He wrote in the book, "This place located on the banks of river Yamuna was blessed by Lord Vishnu, who called it Nigam Bodhak, where one could gain knowledge of Vedas by merely taking a dip in the river. The name Nigam Bodhak literally means - the one who imparts knowledge of Vedas." The ghat was officially established by Bari Panchayat Vaishya Bisa Agarwal. It was established in 1898 when Delhi was known as Shahjahanabad. Currently, the crematorium is operated by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

According to the details given on the website of Nigam Bodh Ghat, "At that time, the major business and trade activities were conducted by the Vaishya Agrawals. The entire society was scattered and used to organize birth and death programs according to their wish and status, which affected the people of the lower strata." It says, "After this, the Vaishya Bisa Samaj resolved to stop the excessive expenditure on marriage, birth of a son and death rituals and to standardize these rituals so that even the poor people can perform them at less cost. Since then, the Vaishya Bisa Agrawal Badi Panchayat has been diligently managing these important stages of life."