ANTYESTI


Meaning of ANTYESTI in English

Hindu funeral rites.

They generally involve cremation followed by disposal of the ashes in a sacred river. As soon as possible after death, the body is removed to the cremation grounds, usually on the riverbank. The eldest son of the deceased and a priest perform the final rites. For 10 days, the mourners are considered impure as they perform rites intended to provide the soul of the deceased with a new spiritual body for the next life. At a prescribed date, the bones are collected and buried or immersed in a river.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.