| It is customary
to drop Ganga-water and Tulasi leaves into the mouth of the dying person. The body is carried on a bier by the near- est relatives and friends
of the deceased.
It is then either cremated or buried according to the
custom of the community.
If cremated, the ashes and the bones are later on collected
and immersed in the sacred waters of the nearest river.
If buried, a mound is raised over the remains as a mark of
remembrance Shraddha or offering to the dead also forms an important item of the last
rites.
It is performed on the eleventh or the thirteenth day after
death and consists of Homa, Pindapradhana (obsequial offering of rice balls) and feeding
the Brahmanas. |
