History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c72.37

v5.c72.37

⁴⁴⁰ The work of Bertram S Puckle on 'Funeral customs' (London, 1926) is a very interesting and instructive one It describes at great length funeral customs in various parts of England, France and other countries in Europe and among Jews and also in other parts of the world. Many of the customs and beliefs that he records bear a close resemblance to customs and beliefs in ancient and modern India, such, as, for example, the alighting of a raven or other black feathered bird on a cottage where a man is very ill as a death warning (p 17), washing and anointing of dead bodies before burial (pp. 34, 36), the hiring of professional women for wailing and shriek-ing for the dead (p 67), condemning burial at night (p 77), the cutting of the hair as a sign of mourning (p. 91), placing meat and drink on the grave for the spirit of the departed (pp 99–100), refusal of burial in the church-yard by the Church for unbaptised children, suicides, lunatics, and those excommunicated (p. 143).