India, Nepal & Bhutan

This is the holiest Hindu pilgrimage in Nepal but also one of the holiest destinations in the world according to Abit, our guide. My feelings are that there is nothing but holy places, and this one qualifies too.
What is happening here is funerals. Lots of funerals. Funerals in Hindu culture are very public events, with grief on display as a matter of life. In case there is any doubt you are in mourning, the eldest son will shave off all his hair and even shave his eyebrows for period of time after the death of his father. In the case of a mother’s funeral, it is the youngest son who performs the ritual. You remain this way for a minimum of two weeks. Some people will continue for up to a year like this.
There is an aspect of precision to how it occurs with body preparation and ceremonial acts of rite at the beginning and moving towards the funeral pyre as things progress. There must be a dozen or so stone, alter like pyre platforms with various stages of cremation occurring. One was fully ablaze, another smouldering embers, still another steaming as it is washed and purified for another cremation. When the blaze is down to small embers, everything is swept into the river that runs beside the pyre platforms. Nothing remains of the deceased except memories.

The family is not responsible for maintaining the fire as the cremation progresses. That is a kindness performed by the man dressed in white. At this time the family is just a witness to the proceedings. He stokes the fire, provides security from monkeys and dogs, sweeps the ashes and purifies the alter.

Thinking of my fathers funeral, I am grateful he didn’t wish to be cremated in Nepal. The shaving of my head and eyebrows would be inconvenient to say the least. I would have been on board to have Mom’s funeral here though. A trip to India with my family culminating with the shaving of Allan’s head and eyebrows. That would have been entertaining. Dad might not have thought too much of it.

You can spend some money here. Prayers can be expensive when prayed by the the Grand Poobah. It might be interesting to note that the cheapest cremation is the North American style, with a gas fired oven. That is for paupers. If you have the means, you go for the bonfire on the stone platform.Read more