ABSTRACT
The chapter delves into the nuanced practices of burying the dead and post-funeral rites in Bathouism (lit., five-fold principle) among the Bodo people of Assam. It investigates how these beliefs and practices gain legitimacy from Bathouism, a belief in Bathoubwrai, and ideas of transmigration and rebirth. It critically documents the continuities in Bodo rituals, ranging from purification rites to dahagarnai, which marks the end of the mourning period, to the practice of mud-plastering the corpse in a corner of the family courtyard. The chapter also examines the shifts that have occurred over time in terms of the disposal of the dead, from earlier practices of leaving the dead body in the forest to be consumed by wild animals to burial to the current practice of cremation. It also investigates the Hindu influences that the Bodos have adopted and appropriated.
