Essay on Funeral Rites of the Hindus !
Antyesti or Hindu funeral rites, sometimes referred as Antim Sanskar, is an important Sanskara, sacrament of Hindu society. Extensive texts of such rites are available, particularly in the Garuda Purana. There is wide inconsistency in theory and practice, and the procedures differ from place to place. Further, these rites also differ depending on the caste, jati, social group, and the status of the deceased person.
The Bier of the Corpse:
ADVERTISEMENTS:
A structure is made of bamboo which looks like a six feet ladder upon which the corpse is laid. The big toes of the corpse are tied together. The corpse is already covered with a white or red sheet depending upon the status of the dead. It is a married women then a red should is used.
There are several others rituals for married women. White shrouds are used for everybody else. The dead needs to have been washed and cleanly clothed. These are preliminal rites which take place before the funeral itself. In a sense they are ritual which has the function of maintaining ritual order and securing the corpse to the bier.
Once it is put on the bier and secured firmly onto it with rope, the near male relatives shoulder the bier and carry it towards the cremation ground. Shoulders are changed several times on the way to the cremation grounds. In urban areas however a hearse-van is usually requisitioned and the body is driven to the cremation ground. It is led by the eldest male, a son preferably.
The Funeral Procession:
ADVERTISEMENTS:
The procession then goes to the cremation ground by foot. Here the body is put near the cremation shed and wood is piled up into the pyre for the corpse. Meanwhile the priest performs certain ceremonies on the corpse for its betterment in the next world.
Thereafter the corpse is laid on the pyre without the bier and covered up with wood. The pyre is always lit by the eldest living son. Except in the absence of the same, a male relative lights the pyre. The main mourners go around the funeral fire keeping their right shoulder, towards the pyre. This is not always so.
Among the Coorgs and the Kumaonis some groups go in an anticlockwise manner keeping the left shoulder to the pyre. This varies from group to group. The fire is then left to burn and the cranium is staved in by the eldest son. This is to free the trapped soul. This is a liminal stage in which the body transits from flesh and blood to bone and ashes.
Collection of Bones:
ADVERTISEMENTS:
The bones are collected a day later when the pyre has cooled off and put in earthen pots. These pots are taken to a river and immersed there. Holy men’s bones and ashes are made into a memorial called a Samadhi. On the fourth day from death a prayer is organized for the peace of the departed soul.
Finally a prayer is held annually for the departed soul. We must remember however that this is a variation not found all over India. It is also to be remembered that a funeral is a polluting event and the mourners either go home and bathe or bathe in the cremation ground itself if the inclination and facilities are there.
There may also be a funeral feast later on. Collection of bones and their immersion into a holy river are all postliminal customs. They indicate incorporation into the world of ancestors. This postliminal phase includes ritual like Chautha, Pagade and Shraddha among the Punjabis which comprise the posliminal phase. Chautha is held on the fourth day after the death and towards its termination Pagade is given to the eldest remaining survivor. It vests him with the authority of the head of the household. Shraddha is kept annually in memory of the deceased and the welfare of his or her soul.