Maybe the exact story maybe a similar story. Death is a constant : every year millions of people are dying and a lot of people die there (in Varanasi). It would be an obvious claim to fame for the city if marketed right, and there is no better marketing than moksha / salvation, at least for the old and/or the religious.

And imagine the life of priests (pundits) there. Some of them are in this business from the time they are young, then all through their life. Some funeral directors in US may see less people in a year than they may see in a week. Just amazing. Sorry to have just gone on...