The dead bodies were lined up along the Bagmati River. They were placed with care in the ancient and sacred Pashupatinath Hindu temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating to 400 BC. Nepal is more than 80 percent Hindu.
The dead were on bamboo stretchers, wrapped in sheets and covered in marigold-colored cloths. One by one, they were taken to a ramp to the river, where their families bathed and anointed the bodies in a long process.
Then they were carried to the funeral pyres just downstream where they were placed atop rectangular stacks of logs. Typically, the eldest son touches the ghee-fed flame to his parent’s mouth to start the cremation. The fire tender feeds the fire until only ashes remain.
The ashes are then poured into the river.
It’s a very solemn and sad thing to watch. The families’ grief is on display. The bodies are clearly visible.
Many people watch from both sides of the river complex and across the bridge in between. People take pictures and no one seems to mind.
The Hindus believe it’s important to witness this ritual because death is a part of life.
Travel in Nepal and you will encounter many such sights and reminders of the preciousness of life .
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