ABSTRACT
Funerals, as R. Houlbrooke points out, have several functions and purposes, both religious and social. “They are intended to benefit in some way both the living and the dead”. There is also a sense of duty performed well. The bereaved may derive some benefits from the funeral and the gathering of mourners may provide the required moral support. In India, as indeed in most other cultures, the number of people attending a funeral is often seen as a measure of the quality of life lived by the deceased. The virtues of the deceased are often assessed by the magnitude of mourners attending the funeral. There is also the desire among the family members of the deceased to ensure that the funeral will be attended by large groups of people comprising their jati, sub-caste, members within their community, and other friends and well-wishers. Striking changes have occurred between the funeral practices of Hindus in England and those living in India.
