Antyesti

By Crusader1307

The process of ‘’Antyesti’’ is an Ancient Hindi Funerary Rite, which is in reality – Cremation of a deceased person. Only Adults are treated to this ritual (whereas Children are buried in The Earth). The Ritual relates One’s association with the Elements of Earth, Wind, Water and Fire, of which all Humans are (at some point, a part of). After death, a body is ritually washed by the same sex as the corpse (Man for Man, Woman for Woman). The toes of the feet are typically tied with string and are the fingers (binding). If Married, the remains are tightly wrapped in Red Linen (while unmarried or widowed persons in White). The remains are then taken in procession to a water source (river), and placed in a kneeling position. The entirety of the body is covered in small planks of wood – arranged in a rectangular shape, building upwards to roughly 4 to 5-feet (completely encircling the corpse). After a period of several hours of prayers and mourning, the remains are set alight (with purified butter used as an accelerant). The resulting ‘’bonfire’’ is allowed to burn (often for hours), until nothing but ash (with some skeletal fragments) are left. Priests then push the entire remaining material into the nearby water. The ritual is seen as returning The Soul back to the aforementioned Elements. The Antyesti Ritual, originally performed by Ancient Hindu Rulers and Nobility – has been practiced still (by most cultural traditionalists), for thousands of generations.