Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-04-13
CREMArIOS IN INDIA.
Buildings ~ the Riverside In which the We
OF IaeinerAlion L. Done

Buildings ~ the RivsrsIde In which the Work
OF iaeincrs'ion IL Done.
Calcutta Corr Of N y. Times.
Now that cremation In on n faIr footing at
home, perhaps the readers of your paper
would like to hear how It In carried on In this
country, where II IL part Of the Hindu religion
to have the bodies OF the dead burned.
took walk through one OF tho largest burning
CHATS In Calcutta the other night at midnight.
Let me describe the Nintollah burning CHAT,
which will answer for q description OF all.
1t IL a stone building on the river Hooghly,
facing the stream. The back and the two
sides OF the structure are solid walls, the
front being open, with large column support
ing the root. The building In about 22J by 80
by 30 The front has stone rail about feet
high running along the edge of tho bank.
There ~ no flooring but the solid earth.
From the centre of the front a stone stair
way about 10 foet wide leads down 70 the
river. The land entrance is through arch
ways In the back wall close to the
sides. Through these the bodies are carried
for cremation. When n body In brought
down the domes, (the lowest caste OF HIM
OF which there are y great many, sing out :
"Huri, Bol huri Bol," (speak, God speak,
God.) As | entered the building ! found
that a mans body had Just been brought In
and was resting ON the cot on which he had
died. His widow was leaning over the
cot crying aud imploring the husband TO
return 10 life. Behind her stood her
mother and sister. After about % min
utes one ct the domes informed her that
it was time to get the body ready for the
hIe. The woman then took some ghoe (an
oily preparatory and rubbed IL on the head,
shoulders, and feet OF tho body. She en-
treated her husband To come back to life, at
which one OF the domes asked IL her husband
was not good Brahman, to which she re.
piled, Goods will Is right" and then gave
the orders To prepare the fire. The domes
placed three tiers OF logs at right angles with
each other on some live coats, and the body
was placed on the pile. The elbow, wrist,
knee, and ankle joints were then broken, the
legs bent back ON the back, and the arms
placed under the back the body lay
with the face upward. This, you may
imagine, WAS the most trying time for the
widow, and il was with great difficulty
that her relatives kept her away from the
pie Three tiers OF wood were then placed
on top of the body, and little ghee was
poured on the tire which Immediately blazed
up. All present sang out Hun, Bol huri,
Boil" The nearest relatives remained until
the body was burned to ashes. While We
were watching this ceremony We discovered
native kneeling at another ire before the
last remains of his wife. lie WAS swinging
himself to and fro ss the fire became dim.
The ordinary charge for burning body in
India In equal to about SIZE, which includes
payment Tor the following: "a An earthen
pot to bring water; (2) a cloth to cover the
body; (S) little ghee, and (i) the wood for
the fire. When a high caste Hindu dies his
burning pile is sandal wood. Sandal wood
oil and ghee are used for the body and raisins
are put into the fire. Ofcourse this increases
the cost.
When the body ofa sick person il brought
down TO the CHAT, the domes take the cot to
the edge Of the river and one OF two of them
take the mud and ill the sick mans mouth
eyes and ears with II. Then they lift him
from the cot and shake him until he is sufio