The Somerset reporter., 1894-04-26
HINDOO CREMATION.
THEY BURN The BODIES OF THEIR
DEAD IN THE OPEN AIR.
A Strange and Sanitary Mode Which Has
Been Practiced by Them For Thousands


I Dtth h'i
of Years - The Blessed state From the
Hlndoo Standpoint.
Although we are beginning to believe
more and more every year Ill cremation
and think ourselves accordingly adj
vanced, the Hindoos have practiced it
for thousands of years. The funeral pile
of rajah sometimes costs laos of rupees
A Hindoo body is sometimes burned
when 3 rupees cover the entire expenses
The rich Hindoo may be somewhat ex-
elusive. The Hindoo masses do every
thing simply and openly They battle
out Of doors, they pray ont of doors, they
cook out of doors, they die out of doors
and their bodies are burned ont of doors,
There are three burning CHATS in Cal
cutta.
A writer to the Pail Mall Budget tells
very entertainingly of visit she made
to one of the cheapest and most print
tive of these three.
Just as she entered into the inclosure
where burning CHAT was in full ope-
ration there was a crack-aSharp retort
like pistol. The heat had just broken
through dead man $ skull, 1t was the
last human part to protest against the
extinguishment of death.
The funeral pile of poor Hindoo
looks like an ordinary kitchen yard
wood pile But if you 20 up close to it
you discover something very like hu-
man form, glowing, charrcd mass, dis
tinguished from every other shape, ami
mate or inanimate, for the Hindoos lit
orally purify their dead by fire. The
body is burned until absolutely nothing
remains but handful of ashes, ashes
wholly free from any unclean or poison
Gus matter As the writer was closely
observing the glowing pile new body
was brought in and the rite begun.
Two coolies carried the body upon Il
rude litter, woven from coarse grasses
and held together by outlines of bamboo.
Two of the dead mans brothers follow
ed chatting pleasantly Four stout
sticks Of wood were driven upright into
the ground, at the corners of an imagi
nary parallelogram about six feet by
two. Between these four posts We're
loosely laid sticks of dry, cheap wood.
When the pile was little more than
three feet hi.h, the body was laid upon
it, A dirty piece of crash of the quality
the coolies wear about their loins, partl y
wrapped the dead. One of the brothers
stepped up and poured about four ounces
of oil over the body This insured "a
quicker cremation, but was something
Of a luxury and not a universal practice
The oil must have cost about three pice.
The other brother paid the coolies, who
shouldered the light, empty litter and
marched gayly out
More wood was piled upon the dead.
A thin stick was lighted at the other
funeral pile, which was now flaming
finely, the second pile was lighted, and
the cremation Of the newcomer was be
gun. The tive brothers appeared very
interested in the igniting and decidedly
pleased when it was accomplished. They
squatted down upon the ground, just so
far from the pile that they might feel
that their scant, filthy garments were
fairly safe from the sparks but near
enough to watch all the changing phases
I vi IIlt tItlildllol anu w ht' NtiHIlJ
IL was cOnsuInmatcd.
They united dirty rag from about u
small bundle one Of them had brought
with them. They took out II small earth
Ell bowl. 1t was clean and shining, and
so was the brass chattce each lifted from
his filthy turbaned head. The chattecs
held water The bowl held curry and
{ 81 fTha%- foil Ia HotIIity with frpgttl
And, pray, why net? They We're eating
to live. Their brother was burning to
live-to live in Hindoo paradise. From
the Hindoo point of view this state was
far more blessed.
The cremation which was in full blast
when the writer arrived was finally
completed. Two distinct kinds of ashes
Were left. The human ashes We're care
fully gathered into an old chattee. The
authorities DO not allow those ashes tC
be thrown into the river, and they are
never thrown there i'll the presence OF
; Europeans. The ashes of the wood were
swept swiftly away The bits of wood
not quite burned We're frugally collected
to be utilized in the next pile.
The correspondent also tells of n visit
r to burning CHAT after shutdown.
, might, she goes ON, sis the time OF
Hindoo leisure, rs indeed it is of most
primitive peoples. The inclosure wa,
crowded with burning piles
"We sailed down the Ganges. The
, outlines of the attendants Of the deat
and of the funeral pile were sharply
silhouettcd against the black background
of the dark night by the flames of thu
| grewsome death fires. And from tina
part of the shore sacred to Hindoo wor
ship came the shrieliing and the song
of many thousand half mad deyotees.
In q primitive part Of interior Indii
: oiic6 saw i mahafajah's funeral pile
i 1t had cost positive fortune. It wa
e built of expensive spicy woods and sat
/ urated with costly oils. 1t was richl,
e gilded, and the dead was wrapped il
D embroidered silken sheets. For mile
the air was sweet and pungont and thicl
. with the perfumed smoke. | remembe
having thought when q child that tn
literally sweetest experience | ever h~
was the attending of high mass at St
; Peters in Rome. But now | must owl
# that the sweetest smell l ever smellet
d was the burning of q indianapolis fu