Nepali Funerals: Video
In a colorful ceremony of fire and water, bodies are cremated on the banks of Katmandu's Bagmati River.
By Kevin Sites, Mon May 15, 9:18 PM ET
TRANSCRIPT - Although Nepal is the birthplace of Buddha, 84 percent of the population is Hindu. When they die, the remains are usually cremated along the banks of the Bagmati River, in front of a large temple called the Pashupatinath. It's one of the most sacred temples in all the region and certainly the biggest in Nepal.
Monks from the temple usually tend to the pyres with long bamboo poles. But it's the family members that will place the body on top of the logs. The body is usally wrapped in linen, sometimes adorned with flowers.
Often, from across the riverbank, tourists will watch the ceremony, sometimes taking photographs.
Usually the eldest in the family will walk around the body three times, carrying a torch which will eventually be used to light the fire.
Cows are sacred in Nepal, actually protected by the constitution — they walk around the grounds.
Once the pyre is lit, the coffin used to carry the body is dumped into the river. Boys are usually waiting nearby to scavenge it, to sell it back to a business. Sometimes they'll ride it down the river like a raft, although it's a fairly unstable one. It's quite an interesting sight to see.
Coffins usually cost about $200 to $300 new, but the boys will get about $15 to $20 once they resell it.
Nearby, the pyres on the banks of the Bagmati River continue to burn.
RECOMMEND THIS STORY
Average (Not Rated)
Scheduled Conflict Coverage
Hot Zone Watch List
- Algeria
- Angola
- Burundi
- Chad
- Ivory Coast
- Korean Peninsula
- Liberia
- Nigeria
- Peru
- The Philippines
- Thailand
- Uzbekistan
- Zimbabwe
Add an Alert