The chief of the funeral marches foremost, carrying fire in a vessel.  The body follows, attended by the relations and friends, without their turbans, and with nothing on their heads but a bit of cloth, in token of mourning.  The women never attend the funeral, but remain in the house, where they set up a hideous cry when the corpse is taken out.  While advancing on the road, the custom is to stop three times on the way, and, at each pause, to put into the mouth of the dead a morsel of unboiled rice, moistened.  The object of stopping is considered to be very important.  It is not without reason; for they say that persons supposed to be dead have been alive, or even when lifeless have been restored; and sometimes, also, it has happened that the gods of the infernal regions have mistaken their aim, and seized one person instead of another.  In any view, it is right to afford the opportunity for correcting these mistakes, so as not to expose to the flames a person who is still alive.  Hence the propriety of these pauses, each of which continues half of the quarter of an hour.

Having arrived at the place for burning the dead, they dig a trench about six or seven feet in length.  This is consecrated by the muntrums.  It is slightly sprinkled with water to lay the dust, and a few pieces of money in gold are scattered upon it.  Here the pile is erected of dried wood, on which the body is laid out at full length.  Over the body a quantity of twigs are laid, which are sprinkled with punchakaryam The chief of the funeral then takes on his shoulders a pitcher of water, and goes around the pile three times, letting the water run through a hole made in it.  After this he breaks the pitcher in pieces near the head of the corpse.

At last the torch is brought for setting fire to the pile, and is handed to the chief of the funeral.  Before he receives it, however, he is obliged to make some grimaces to prove his sorrow.  He rolls about on the ground, beats his breast, and makes the air resound with his cries.  The assistants also cry, or appear to cry.  Fire being applied to the four corners of the pile, the crowd retire, except the four Brahmins who carried the body; they remain until the whole is consumed.

The funerals of the Sudras differ in some particulars from those of the Brahmins.  Deafening sounds of drums, trumpets, and other instruments of music, not in use among the Brahmins, accompany their funerals.  To increase the noise, they sometimes shoot off an instrument which somewhat resembles a small cannon.  I do not now think of any other particular worthy of mention.