January 26, 2015
Pashupatinath is Nepal’s most sacred Hindu site. Its temple to Lord Shiva, dating
back to 400AD, is regarded as the most sacred in the world. Pashupatinath rests on
the bank of the Bagmati River, which is considered holy by Hindus and Buddhists.
Today, on this spot, was a small knot of people, giving respect by attending a funeral
for a young girl named Shristri.
In Nepal, all people are cremated; no cemeteries dot the countryside. According to
Hindu tradition, the dead must be dipped 3 times in the Bagmati River prior to
cremation. The body is placed on a concrete pillar where wood is stacked in neat
formation, alternating direction with each layer to allow for air circulation.
Marigold flowers and petals are scattered liberally on the final layer of wood before
the chief mourner lights the funeral pyre. Hours later, the ashes are swept into the
river and the chief mourner takes a holy‐river‐bath for spiritual purity.
Shristri had a traditional Hindu funeral because she was from a Hindu nation but we
praise the Lord that she had learned the truth about God, salvation and death. May
she be raised up from this earth when Jesus comes to gather His own!!