le piece of cloth and carried at the end of
a stick by the chief mourner, who is usually accompanied by several
caste-fellows. At night during the journey this stick is planted in
the ground, so that the bones may not touch the earth.

23. Burial

Graves are always dug from north to south. Some people say that heaven
is to the north, being situated in the Himalayas, and others that
In the Satyug or Golden Age the sun rose to the north. The digging
of the grave only commences on the arrival of the funeral party, so
there is of necessity a delay of several hours at the site, and all
who attend a funeral are supposed to help in digging. It is considered
to be meritorious to assist at a burial, and there is a saying that a
man who has himself conducted a hundred funerals will become a Raja in
his next birth. When the grave has been filled in and a mound raised
to mark the spot, each person present makes five small balls of earth
and places them in a heap at the head of the grave. This custom is also
known as _Panch lakariya_, and must therefore be an imitation of the
placing of the five sticks on the pyre; its original meaning in the
latter case may have been that the mourners should assist the family
by bringing a contribution of wood to the pyre. As adopted in burial
it seems to have no special significance, but somewhat resembles the
European custom of the mourners throwing a little dust into the grave.

24. Return of the soul

On the third day the _pindas_ or sacrificial cakes are offered and
this goes on till the tenth day. These cakes are not eaten by the
priest or Maha-Brahman, but are thrown into a river. On the evening
of the third day the son goes, accompanied by a Brahman and a barber,
and carrying a key to avert evil, to a pipal [67] tree, on whose
branches he hangs two earthen pots: one containing water, which
trickles out through a hole in the bottom, and the other a lamp. On
each succeeding night the son replenishes the contents of these pots,
which are intended to refresh the spirit of the deceased and to light
it on its way to the lower world. In some localities on the evening
of the third day the ashes of the cooking-place are sifted, and laid
out on a tray at night on the spot where the deceased died, or near
the cooking-place. In the morning the layer of ashes is inspected,
and if what appears to be a hand- or footprint is seen, it is held
that the spirit of the deceased has visited the h