Hindu Funeral Ceremony

The Hindu funeral ceremony, also known as Antyesti or Antim Sanskara, was a very important Sanskara, a sacrament in the Hindu society. This is the last sacrament in the Hindu life. There is not only one way to do this, but there are many different ways it can go depending on the life of the departed person such as the caste the person was in, the place they lived in, their social class, and their status. Although rites can differ, mostly all Hindus believe in the ritual of cremation, with the exception of infants that get buried.

People in the Hindu religion want to die in Varanasi, the holy city, but the trip there may not be affordable to the poorer families. However, if a family is able to do this, they will take this wonderful opportunity and have the funeral ceremony done there.

For the ceremony, the dead body is placed on a pyre made of wooden logs. The feet are placed facing southwards in order for it to be able to walk in the direction of the dead. The preist recites some funeral prayers and walks around the body three times. Once this is done, the pyre is set on fire and the body is left to burn.

As said in this video the Ganges river is how to make sure the soul of the dead person can reincarnate. However, if the body's remains are placed in the river in Varanasi, that is the way to moksha.