Specific rituals depend on the patient’s affiliation to a particular Hindu tradition. However, often, a Hindu priest is asked to perform the antyeshti (funeral rites). The funeral directors will take the body for bathing, dressing and anointing with the permission and in the presence of chosen friends and relatives before the funeral rites take place.
Hindus generally prefer cremation over burial and the funeral usually takes place as soon as possible after death. Whilst it is favourable to do this within 24 hours, it is widely accepted amongst the Hindu community that the administrative process will take longer in the UK. Mourners customarily choose to wear simple, white clothing to the funeral, although this is not a religious requirement, and a Hindu priest usually leads the prayers.
Through cremation, the five basic elements, known as the panchbhut, are returned to the universe, signifying the maintenance of cosmic equilibrium. The ashes are usually scattered in a local river or the sea or maybe taken to India to be scattered in any one of the holy rivers, such as the Ganga.
The Hindu mourning period (sutak) typically lasts ten to thirteen days and includes various rituals, such as prayers and preparing certain foods, depending on the particular Hindu tradition of the family. Some Hindu traditions advocate devotional singing and scriptural recital during this time, rather than consider it a time of mourning; instead, realising it as a celebration that the soul has now been liberated and resides eternally in the abode of God. On the first anniversary of the death, a memorial event (shraaddha) is held to pay homage to the deceased.
