Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-05-15
HINDOO CREMATION.
THEY BURN THE BODIES or THEIR
DEAD IN the OPEN AIR.

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DEAD IN THE OPEN AIR.
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Although VIC arc beginning TO believe
more and moro every ycar In cremation
IND think ourselves accordingly I'd.
sanced, tho Hindoos have prscticcd 10
fcr thousands Of years The funeral pile
Of rajah sometimes costs lss Of rupees
A Hindoo body L. sometimes burned
when 3 rupees cover tho entire e1pensc~
The rich Hindoo may 10 somewhat ex.
elusive. The Hindoo masses do every
thing simply and openly. They bathe
out IL doors, they pray out Of door~ they
cock out Of doors they die out Of doors
and their bottles are burned cut of doors.
There are three burning CHATS In Cal
euttA
Awriter TO the Pail Mall Budget tells
very entertainingly Of visit she made
90 one of the cheapest and most print
tive 81 thcse three
Just NJ she entered into tho Enclosure
where burning CHAT was In full ope.
ration there was . crnck-a sharp retort
like pistol. Ths heat had just broken
through dead mans skull. u wns the
last human part 10 protest against the
extinguishment of death.
The funeral pile of . poor Iiindoo
looks like an ordinary kitchen yard
wool pile. hut II you w mp close 20 10
you discover something very like hu.
man form. glowing. chsrrcd mas. dis
tinguished from every other shapr. ant
mate &c inanimaie. for the Hindoos lit
orally purify their deal by fir~ The
body IL burncl until absolutely nothing
remains but q handful IL She~, ashes
wholly frve FINN any unclean or poison
Gus matter. A tho writer was clo-ely
Observing the glowing pile new holy
was brought In and tho rite boeun.
Two coolies carried the body upon q
rude litter. woven from coarse grass
and held taerther by outlines II bambco
Two of the dead mans brothers follow.
al. chatting pleasantly. -Four stout
sticks % wood wcc driven upright into
the gruund. at the corners ii an imagi'
nary parallelogram about six feet by
two Between the~o four posts were
Loosely laid sticks of dry. cheap wood
when the pile was . little more than
tiirve feet high. Oh. body Wa laid upon
IT, A dirty pico q crash. II the quality
the coolies wear about their loins, partly
wrapped the dead. One ~ the brothcrs
stepped mp and poured alout four ounces
III oil over the body. This insured .
quicker cremation. but was something
IL luxury and not n universal practice.
The oil must have cost about thrce picc.
The other brother paid the coolies. who
shouldcrcd the light. empty litter and
marched gayly out.
More wuoi 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 IL the newcomer was be-
gun. The two brothers appearcd very
interested Ina the igniting and decidedly
PLEASED when II was accomplished They
squatt.i down upon the ground. Just ~
far from thu pile that they might feel
that their cant. filthy garments were
fairly safe froin the sparks. but near
enough Ia watch all the changing phases
Of the cremation and to $40 easily when
Il was oonsummaicl
They untici q dirty nag from about q
small bundle one ii them had brought
with them They took cut small earth
en- bywl. IL was clean and shining. and
~ was the bras chattcc each liftci from
his flthily turban-d head. The chattccs
held water. The bowl held curry AMI
rice They fell 20 eating with gusto
And. pray. why noti They were eating
90 live Their brother ws burning io
hye-to live In Hindoo paradise From
the Hindco point ~ Wow this state was
far moe blessed
The cremation which was In full blast
when the writer arrived was finally
oomplot.l Two distinct kinds Of ashcs
WIRE left. The human ashes were care
fully gathered into an old chattee. The
authoritie. do not allow tho~c ashe- to
b. thrown into the river. and they arc
never thrown there In the pr-cpcc II
Europeans The ashes Of the wood were
swept swiftly away. The bits u wo"i
not quite burned were frugally collected
Ia be utiliE.i Ina the next pile.
The correspondent also tells II visit
% q burning CHAT after SHUTDOWN
might" she goos on. sis the time of
Hindoo leisure. ~ indcd u IL 81 most
primitive peoples The inclo-urc was
crowded with burning piles
"we sailed down the Gangs The
outlines IL tho attendants u the dead
and IL the funeral pile were sharply
silhoucttci against the black background
u the dark night by the flames Of the
grwSome death nr,S And from that
part Of the shore Sacred TO Hindoo wor'
ship came the shrieking and the songs
: VI many thousand half mad devotcs
"In q primitive part 81 interior India
once saw maharajah's funeral pile.
II had cost positive fortune IL Wa
built u expensive spicy woods AMI sat
uratcd with co.tly oils II was richly
gildci, and the dead was wrapped In
embroidered silken sheets. For milc-
the air was sweet and pungent and thick
with the perfumei smoke. ] remember
having thought when q child that tbs
literally sweetest experience ever had
was the attending Of q high mas at st.
Peters In Rome but now must owi
that the s,y,ste-t smell I ever smellesl