What are Hindu practices when a person has died?
Here again there is a diversity of practices. Typically, when life is extinct, drops of holy water and Tulasi leaf are placed in the moth (if it hasnt been done while life is ebbing away), the body is removed from the bed and laid on a mat on the ground, with the head to the north (as if it is looking in the south direction where Yama resides). The next of kin utters ‘Narayana’ or ‘Govinda’ or ‘Nama Shivaya’ or the name of favorite deity of the deceased, three times in the right ear of the deceased. The mouth and eyes are closed. A piece of cloth may also be tied around the jaw and the scalp so the mouth remains closed. The toes are tied together with a piece of string bringing the two legs together. The hands are brought together in a namaskar pose and the two thumbs tied together on the chest. The body is covered up to the neck with a white cloth (for males and widows). If the deceased is a female sumangali (married or unmarried), then an orange, yellow or red cloth is used. An oil l
