From the archive record
The last rites of a dead Hindu person. This is the cremation of a Hindu lady whose family members are now performing the ritual. The closest blood relative or immediate family members lift the dead body together and place it on the pyre to be burnt as the last religious rite of a person. Cremation is the use of high-temperature burning, vaporization, and oxidation to reduce dead animal bodies, including human ones, to basic chemical compounds, such as gases and mineral fragments retaining the appearance of dry bone. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite that is an alternative to the interment of an intact body in a casket. Cremated remains, which do not constitute a health risk, may be buried or interred in memorial sites or cemeteries, or they may be legally retained by re