History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c9.15

v1.c9.15

We will lastly speak of the funeral customs of the people. The dead were usually burnt on pyre, except perhaps in the case of hermits whose dead bodies were buried. On the third or tenth day bits of bones of the burnt body were collected and generally sent to some sacred place to be thrown into a river or pond considered sacred. Śrāddhas were performed at which Brahmins were fed and gifts of several kinds were made to Brahmins. It does not, however, appear that the gifts mentioned in modern Purāṇas and later books had then come into vogue. The following passage from Bāṇa's Harsha Charita describing what was done at the time of the obsequies of the deceased Prabhākara father of Harsha will show this—"अथ भुक्ते प्रथमप्रेतपिण्डभुजि द्विजन्मनि गतेषूद्वजनीयेष्वाशौचादिवसेषु, चक्षुर्हदायिनि दीयमाने द्विजेभ्यः शयनासनचामरातपत्रा- मत्रपत्रशस्त्रादिके नृपतिकनिकटोपकरणकलापे नतिेषु तीर्थस्थानानि सह जनहृदयैः क्रीक- सेषु, वनाय विसर्जिते महाजिजिति राजगजेन्द्रे H. C. p. 241 "When the Brahamin (one) eating the first oblation to the dead had been feasted, when the bed, the seat, the Chāmara, the umbrella, the drinking bowl, the carriages and the arms and other belongings of the deceased monarch, which could not be looked at without pain, had been given away to Brahmins, when his bones had been sent to a holy place and when the great riding elephant of the king, who had won many battles had been let off in the jungles.". This speaks it may be noticed, of only one Brahmin being fed, it speaks of the royal elephant as let off, not given in gift and of the king's belongings being given away to Brahmins, not because they would be of use to his soul in its progress across the river of the Dead in the Yamaloka, but because their sight gave impetus to grief. This description of the obsequies of even a great king will show that the Garuda Purāṇa theory of gifts of various things for the benefit of the soul had not yet arisen. The expression सुधानिचयचिते चिता- चैत्यचिन्हे which we have omitted from the above quotation is somewhat difficult to understand but it seems that the custom of raising some temple at the place of burning the the dead body of the kings was then prevalent as now. A mark of such memorial temple was promptly made by a heap of whitened stones and the memorial temple was subsequently raised. In the case of ordinary funerals such memorials were not raised as will also appear below.