Hinduism is unique among the world’s major religions in mandating cremation as one of the 16 life rituals. The last sacrament in the life of a person is Funeral which varies greatly from culture to culture…Hindus burn, Christians and Muslims bury.
Hindus believe in the soul being indestructible and that death symbolises end of the existence of a person's physical being, but the start of a new journey for the soul.This soul then reincarnates in some other life form, and passes through the same cycle of taking birth, growing and eventually meeting death- only to begin the cycle afresh.
Also, a traditional belief among Hindus says that a person's body is composed of 5 elements- earth, fire, water, air and sky. The cremation ceremonies of Hindus are directed towards returning the body to these elements. The body is progressively returned to earth, air, sky and fire by burning it under skies; and the ashes are respectfully collected and poured in a river.
Fire is considered holy in Hinduism. It burns away everything until nothing remains. On the other hand, burying is a very slow process of dissolving the five elements inside the body back into the five elements of the cosmos.
