At Peace in Igatpuri - Rambling Through an Old Railway Cemetery

The cemetery is an open space among the ruins, covered in winter with violets and daisies. It might make one in love with death, to think that one should be buried in so sweet a place.”

― Percy Bysshe Shelley

The poet could well be describing this Cemetery in Igatpuri which is indeed a quiet place, shaded by the trees in an old Churchyard. Here, lie at peace, railwaymen, soldiers,other British officials and their families.  Each had a life, long or sometimes short; a life, young or old; each with a story to tell; each shaping the "Empire" in a way big or small.  Complete lives reduced to a few passionate words on a tombstone. The cracked stones only hinting  of exciting or mundane lives.

The oldest Stone
 I could find, dated 1868 for an unknown Ann who was just 31 years of age when she died.  She was the "deeply regretted wife of...". This is just three years after the Thal ghat section was opened, in 1865.  The church where this cemetery is located was established in 1892, a full 24 years later.  The ages of the deceased on these plaques and old gravestones elsewhere indicate that life expectancy was very uncertain in those days. Less developed medicine, war, pestilence and wild animals all contributed to premature death! 

The Church and the sign
 that drew me to the church. The church is under much needed repair and the outer eaves are completed dismantled, giving the place a feel of disrepair.  This church has stood for over 125 years and the wooden roof of the main building seems good for another century. In the verandah there is an intact coffin cart, probably still in use.  It took me a while to figure out its purpose, but the handles and tow bar gave me a hint. It has a slide with latch for the coffin and spring suspension (lest we jolt the dead awake!)

The War Memorial 
and some soldiers graves mark what appears to be a First World War memorial. These soldiers were rather far from the WWI battlefields of Europe and so are likely to have died of wounds or disease in the garrison battalion. Soldiers were stationed at most hubs to maintain colonial order and protect assets of the Empire, in this case the all important railway.

The important railway influence 
is reflected in much of the cemetery. Igatpuri was a crucial link in the GIPR, being at the top of the then difficult Thal Ghat.  The railways were the steel web that bound the Empire,  a vital form of communication before  road and air became ubiquitous.The rail encircling this cross has obviously been made in some railway workshop to honour an important person. Buried here are  railway engineers, engine drivers, guards, "ghat keepers", "ghaut driver"  and Public Way Inspectors (PWI).  

Then there the families of the railway staff, ...
 The women who accompanied their menfolk out to these remote places had a difficult existence, not used to the heat, hard life and loneliness of mofussil  they often predeceased their husbands. Some of them became useful, but most simply adhered to an almost stifling code of Victorian social conduct and withered away. Before the Suez Canal opened in 1869, it could take four to six months to sail from Britain to India, so few families came out.

There are elaborate stones,
here's one with a floral tribute carved in bas relief in marble. It has withstood the ravages of time and the carving is largely intact even if the grave below is disheveled. 

There are ornate stones,
this one has a dove with a floral theme, all indicating a peaceful hereafter. Maybe more peaceful than their temporal lives in small towns like Igatpuri, specially in the early days. 

There are stones for children
 resting here, this particularly moving carving depicts a child reaching for glory of God.  Children had a particularly tough time, their childhood exuberance was tied by the strict mores of the time which governed whom they could play with, when and how. Child mortality was high due to the lack of hygiene and high humidity of places like Igatpuri. When the children came of school going age they were sent to England if the parents could afford it, else to one of the schools in the hills.

Decrepit stones,
Not all stones are well made or kept, In fact most of the graves are in serious want of attention. The stones range from the elaborate and ornate to the simple and at many places just a square of bricks marks the spot of interment.  

Plaques on the inside church walls 
mark the memory of more important and wealthy personages.  In this case a railway engineer who was also a Lt-Col. The church is a potpourri of the old and modern, it has a lovely old wood barrel vaulted  ceiling and beams.

A parrot embellishes
a column,  maybe a more knowledgeable study would reveal the different social significance and style of decorations through the 125 years. However this church seems to have garnered funds to renovate and keep the building in a decent state of repair.  The adjoining cemetery is however not in as good condition.

In eternal rest
each stone marks a life, as the life has been snuffed out and forgotten in the shroud of time, so has the grave.

"Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust,"
 phrase from the funeral service in the Book of Common Prayer