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27

...themselves on benches opposite one burning place. A servant swept away the ashes and remains of the last fire and a new fire was laid, two long pieces of wood forming the frame of it. We did not wait to see the incineration. The body is laid between the long pieces of wood and it is all consumed in two hours. If a hand or foot or bone doesn't get burned, it is wrapped in cloth and is thrown into a holy place such as the Ganges. The ashes left are merely swept away. The mourners stay till the end and women never come. Rich people burn their dead with sandalwood which is expensive, otherwise all are treated alike. All Hindoos cremate in this way, but altho both [illegible] believe in creation...