Hindu Funerals

Hindu funerals are common amongst the Indian community, and although there are many similarities, there are also many different Hindu death and dying rituals associated with Hindu funerals, and those different rituals are usually passed on from previous generations, and they are mainly determined by the region that the family is from. On most occasions, Hindu families say the Hindu funeral prayers with their relatives and close friends in the days and hours leading up to the funeral service. Hindu funerals consist of the following:

The Viewing: Viewing the deceased is always a major part of a Hindu funeral, because there are rituals that require the participation of family members and those rituals can only be performed with the coffin open during the majority of the service. The family members holding burning incense sticks in their hands and spreading the incense smoke on top of the deceased is one of the main rituals, as well as the family members walking around the coffin, which is one of the Hindu death customs.

The Funeral Service: Hindu funerals are always held in a cemetery based chapel where there is also a crematorium. Hindu funeral services can be conducted by a Hindu Priest, family member, or even a member from the community, who will conduct the Hindu funeral rituals with the participation of the family members.

The Committal Service: Cremation is always the type of committal service for Hindu funerals. The cremation must always take place immediately after the funeral service and before sunset. At the end of the service, the coffin will slowly disappear behind a curtain, or be lowered into a catafalque, and most Hindu families request to have a son or son in law operate the curtain or catafalque if possible. Hindu families also request to view the coffin entering the cremation vault if possible, which is the closest alternative to the traditional cremations that take place in India.

The Scattering of the Remains: Although it is legal for families to scatter cremated remains at certain lakes, rivers and oceans in Australia with authorisation, it is one of the Hindu rituals after death for families to arrange for their loved one’s cremated remains to be sent back to India and scattered in a river that is selected by the family, and one of the most common rivers in India that families use to scatter cremated remains is the Ganges river. It is also a custom for Hindu families to keep the cremated remains outside the family home during the process of receiving the cremated remains and posting them to India. The scattering of the remains and scattering prayers are usually performed by close relatives, or someone appointed by the family.