Religious burning ritual in Nepal

"From afar I could smell the smoke of the dead burning body. It smelled like burnt hair. So I covered my nose trying to get closer to see the ritual behind the smoke now clouding the area, I smell the smoke of burning wood mixed with the odor of burnt flesh." -mywanderlust

P1010325.jpg

P1010286.jpg

After an hour of preparation they brought out a body wrapped in linen and lying on what amounted to a bamboo ladder borne by four Hari Krishna’s who lifted the body up on to the pile of wood, covered it with grasses and then, with very little additional ceremony, they lit the pyre.

P1010263.jpg

P1010267.jpg

P1010273.jpg

The Pashupatinath Temple is a sacred Hindu temple located on the banks of the Bagmati River 5 kilometres north-east of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.

It is considered one of the sacred temples of Hindu faith. Listed as a UNESCO Heritage Site, the temple serves as the seat of the national deity, Lord Pashupatinath.

P1010284.jpg

The Heritage complex of Pashupati is full of beautiful ancient and medieval architecture. Amazing shrines are built everywhere around the area.

P1010268.jpg

P1010310.jpg

Within the temple ground, it is normal to see several Sadhus covered in a plain piece of clothing with white powder spread all over their body.

P1010299.jpg

P1010295.jpg

In Hindu tradition, the dead are cremated on the banks of the holy Bagmati River. It is the ultimate wish of a Hindu to be cremated along the river bank. The body must be dipped into the river three times before cremation.

P1010322.jpg

P1010330.jpg

P1010326.jpg

Learning about cultures is a great way of understanding a place and people there.

If you have a passion for traveling please don't forget to follow! Also, upvoting keeps me motivated. :)

Thanks for reading!

H2
H3
H4
3 columns
2 columns
1 column
Join the conversation now