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Hindus generally cremate their dead. the body of the departed is given a
bath and dressed in fresh clothes. Fragrant sandlewood paste is applied to
the corpse, which is then decorated with flowers and garlands, followed by a
small amount of gold dust sprinkled on different parts of the head and face.
After some purificatory scriptural chants and worship rituals, the body is
placed on the funeral pyre facing either north or south.
A close relative of the departed lights some kindling and walks around the
pyre chanting a prayer for the well being of the departed soul. Then he
lights the funeral pyre after touching the mouth of the departed with
kindling.
In larger cities bodies are cremated in modern crematoria. The ashes are
later put in a holy river or sea.
The body of a Hindu saint is not usually cremated but put in a grave or
buried in water.
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