, 1886-05-11
PRACTICE OF CREMATION N INDIA.


buildings by tho riverside IN Which the
Work Is Done.
Now that cremation is on a fai- foot
ing at home, perhaps the readers Of your
paper would like to heal how il is car
ried on in this country, where it is part
Of the Hindoo religion to have the bodies
Of the dead burned. l took n walk
through one of the largest burning CHATS
in Calcutta, the other night, Mt mid
night. Let me describe the Nintollah
b~urning-ghat, which will answer for a
description of all. 1t is n stone building
on the river Hooghly, facing the stream.
The back and the two sides of the struct-
ure are solid walls, the front being open,
with large columns supporting the roof.
The building is about 225 by 30 by so.
The front has a stone rail about 4 feet
feet running along the edge Of the bank.
There is no flooring but the solid earth.
From the center of the front a tone
stairway about ten feet wide leads down
TO the river. The land entrance is
through archways in the back wall close
to the sides. Through these the bodies
are carried for cremation. When a body
is brought down the domes (the lowest
caste Of Hindoo, whose only business is
TO burn bodies), of which there are a
great many, sing out: "Huri, Boil; huri,
Dol" Speak, God; speak, God.) AS
entered the building l 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 and imploring the hus-
band TO return to life. Behind her stood
her mother and sister. After about
twenty minutes one of the domes in
formed hei that it was time to get the
body ready for the fire. The woman
then took some ghee ian oily prepare
tom and rubbed it on the head, shout
ders, and feet of the body. She en-
treated her husband to come back to
life, at which one Of the domes asked if
her husband was not n good Brahman,
which she replied, Goods will is right,
and then gave the orders to prepare the
fire.
The domes placed three tiers of logs at
right angles of each other on some live
Goals, and the body was placed Oh the
pile. The elbow, wrist, knee and ankle
joints were then broken, the legs bent
pack on the back, and the arms placed
under the back as the body lay with the
face downward. This, as you may inn
agine, was the most trying time for the
widow, and it was with great difficulty
that her relatives kept her away from
the pile. Three tiers of wood were then
placed on top of the body, and a little
ghee was poured on the fire, which i'm
mediately blazed up. All present sang
out; "Huri Boil; Huri Boil" The nearest
relatives remained until the body was
burned to ashes. While we were watch
ing this ceremony we discovered a rela-
tive kneeling at another fire before the
last remains of his wife. He was swing
ing himself to and fro as the fire became
dim. The ordinary charge for burning a
body in India is equal to about $1.75,
which includes payment Of the follow
ing; An earthen pot to bring water, cloth
to cover the body, a little ghee, and the
wood for the fire. When a high-caste
Hindoo dies, his burning pile is sandal
wood. Sandal-wood oil and ghee are
used for the body, and raisins are put
into the fire. OF course this increases
the cost.
When the body Of a sick person is
brought down to the CHAT, the domes
take the cot to the edge of the river and
one or two of them take mud and fill the
sick mani mouth, eyes and ears with it.
Then they lift him from the cot and
shake him until he is suffocated. He is
then put on his cot and all are held
underneath the surface of the water
for a couple of minutes, tho domes sing
ing "ifuri Boil" Although Calcutta is
under English rule, this murder is com
mitted every day. There are nearly 100
castles recognized in the Hindoo religion,
but it is only at death that members of
different castles ASSOCIATE with zach other
at all. Hindoos of similar castles only
can eat, smoke, or sit together. But at
the killing of the sick the lowest of the
low puts mud into the mouth Of the ar
istocratic Brahman. The ashes are col
lected and sold TO tea estates and used
for fertilizing purposes. Calcutta Cor.
New York Times.