2020 version of Jaffna Hindu Funeral Rites in Sydney

On the 8^th of February 2020, my world became less generous, less gentle and less gracious, because my Mother in Law (MIL) passed away in Sydney.  She is one of the most generous, gentle and gracious people, I have known.  She was unwell for nearly three years and taught us how to suffer gracefully during the last two years.  This blog is about the funeral rites that followed her death, and how it differed from Hindu funeral rites in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, where I was born. 

My MIL passed away at the Westmead Hospital in Sydney.  The hospital staff wanted to take over the body within four hours, to clean and store in the mortuary.  The immediate family who were present, obliged.  She died on a Saturday early morning, and the funeral directors could not access her till the Monday morning.  Furthermore, the funeral directors had other commitments, and hence the funeral was scheduled for the 12^th.

In Jaffna, the family will mourn in the presence of the deceased for nearly 12 hours, while the arrangements for the funeral will be taking place.  Typically, the body will be cremated within 24 hours of death, following the funeral rites at home.

On the 12^th morning, the immediate family ‘viewed’ the deceased at 8:30 AM and the rest of the family and friends did so till 10 AM.  Funeral rites followed that in the presence of mourners. 

In Jaffna, there was a group of priests who were ordained to administer the funeral rites.  In Sydney, it was done by volunteers, attached to the Hindu Society (popularly known as the Sydney Saiva Manram) for a modest fee to pay for various consumables for administering the rites.  The chief volunteer was supported by two additional volunteers from the Sri Lankan Hindu community in Sydney. 

The rites started with the invocation of Lord Ganesha, a Hindu God.  Lord Ganesha is the God of Beginnings.  A cone of ground-turmeric paste mounted with grass is formed to depict Ganesha, and a prayer is offered to him.  He is asked to oversee and ensure the proceedings are completed properly. 

The second rite is the invocation of Lord Shiva, the supreme God.  A metal pot with a narrow neck (Kudam in Tamil), is filled with water, and a coconut is kept up-side-down to cover the opening of the pot.  This formation depicts Lord Shiva, also known as the destroyer.  Prayers are offered to Lord Shiva, and he is requested to accept the deceased soul.

The third rite is the invocation of the departed soul.  Instead of a metal pot, a mud-pot is used to create another formation for the soul and prayers are offered to invite the wandering soul to come and settle in the water within the mud-pot.

The fourth rite is to physically purify the body.  In Jaffna, herbal shampoo and oil are applied liberally to the body, and the body will be washed and dressed.  In Sydney, the washing of the body is done at the hospital soon after the death and dressing of the body is done by the funeral directors a day before the funeral.  Hence, the fourth rite in Sydney is only ceremonial to symbolize what was done in Jaffna.  Friends and family were invited to apply a drop each of herbal shampoo, oil, and water.  It is then assumed that the body is cleansed and dressed.

The fifth rite is to prepare a blend of fragrances and perfumes for the deceased.  The mixing is done in a pestle with mortar when a close relative pounds the substances as the volunteers recite prayers.  Subsequently, the fragrant concoction is applied to the deceased.

The sixth rite is to offer the deceased vakkarisi a mixture of rice and other grains.  This is an offering reluctantly and sorrowfully made by the immediate family, reflecting the good things the deceased had done to them over the years.  A handful of rice is placed at the mouth of the deceased by each, often bring tears to those involved.  Rice, instead of paddy-which can germinate, symbolize, the prayer seeking no rebirth for the deceased. 

At this stage, in Jaffna, the coffin is closed, and the body is taken to the cemetery in a procession where the body is to be cremated.  In Sydney, where the cremation takes place at the parlour itself, remaining rituals continue, as if it is only now the deceased has arrived at the parlour. 

In Jaffna, the pot in which the deceased soul is invoked is carried on the left shoulder by a male member of the immediate family.  He will walk around the deceased on the funeral pyre, three times.  The family barber will walk behind the pot-carrier and pierce the pot at the end of each round and let the water drain.  At the end of the three rounds, the pot-carrier will drop the pot behind him, crashing the pot, and releasing the water.

In Sydney, the key volunteer replaces the barber, and instead of piercing the pot, he will only tap the pot.  Once the three rounds are over, the pot-carrier walks outside the parlour and drops the pot releasing the water.  This is done so to prevent the parlour floor from getting wet.

Recall that the pot is where the soul is invoked.  During the leakage of water, the soul is released to find its way to meet the greater soul, the Paramatma.  In Sydney, then the coffin is sealed, placed on a stage, a piece of camphor is alight, and the curtain is drawn.  Later, the funeral directors will transfer the body to a crematorium to cremate the body.  In Jaffna, the pyre will be set on fire, to cremate the body, after the pot is crashed.

The Jaffna-migrant community in Sydney does its best to cling on to the traditions of Jaffna.  The manner in which my Mother in Law’s funeral was held shows the extent to which the community tried to stick to its traditions, but also flexible enough to adapt to the new environment, and Sydney-living!. 

I believe there will be more adaptations with time, largely due to the apathy and (in)convenience among the next generation of Jaffna-origin Hindus in Sydney.  But I also think some of the practices of Hindus from other parts of the world, as well as the practices of other religions and communities, will blend with the traditions from Jaffna.  An example is the delivery of tributes and vote of thanks at my Mother in Law’s funeral, which is a common practice at Christian Funerals, that never happens in Jaffna. 

The merger of respectful practices, irrespective of their origins are always welcome.

Ayutthaya is not Ayodhya

Until very recently, I often wondered what could be common between Ayutthaya in Thailand, and Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, India. I was confused between the two, because, both names sounded the same, many Hindu fables are very much in conversation in Thailand, and Thais and the Indians consider Rama, as God.  Rama was born in Ayodhya, but he had nothing to do with Ayutthaya.  Ayutthaya was founded in circa 1350 and was destroyed by an invading Burmese army in the 18th Century.  It was the second largest city of Siam and was a centre for Buddhist culture, as long as it thrived.

Panoramic View of the History Park, Ayutthaya

Thanks to an email from Thai Airways, informing that some of my frequent flyer points are about to expire, I took a three-day trip to Bangkok recently.  I went there for the first time in 1993, had been there for work, representing CSIRO, IWMI, SQU Oman, and ADB, the institutions I worked for.  I have also transited Bangkok many times, travelling between Sydney and Lahore/Muscat/Colombo.  But I was never a serious tourist, except until now.

The Ministry of Defence, Thailand.  Note the new King's portrait

I wanted to go to Ayutthaya from Bangkok by train.  I did my homework, figured out that I need to take the Airport Rail Link from Lat Krabang to a Railway Junction, Hua Lamphong, and then get the train to Ayutthaya.  I took a Taxi from the hotel around 6 AM and told the driver to take me to Lat Krabang.  I showed him the Airport Rail Map, and we interrogated Google Maps in Thai and English, and we were on our way.  Except, instead of the Airport Rail Link Station, he dropped me at an intersection in Lat Krabang, and I realized that I need to try another mode of transport.

The Grand Palace - as it welcomes you

I saw four men sitting around a small coffee table and drinking beer and a Thai alcohol concoction around 6 AM.  I asked them for directions to the Airport Link station, but the communication was not going well.  Finally, one of them, who spoke a bit of English, asked me what I wanted to do.  I said that I wanted to go to Ayutthaya.  He offered to arrange a taxi for the day for 70USD.  I agreed.  He called one of his friends, who was a Taxi driver.  When the taxi arrived, the broker took a commission of 5 USD from the driver and introduced me to the driver.  The Driver spoke less English than the guy who arranged the trip, but, on his smartphone, he had an App, which translated Thai to English and vice versa.  What a blessing!  I gave him a list of ten sites I wanted to visit in Ayutthaya, and we were on our way!

Alms Giving at a Buddhist Temple - Actually, there's no giving.  You help yourself!

The first stop was Wat Yai Chaimongkorn, a monastery built in the 14th Century to house Scholars exchanged between Thailand, and Sri Lanka.  I was very proud to read that.  It was the same feeling I had when I went to Sarnath and Bodh Gaya, both were ‘rediscovered’ by Anagarika Dharmapala, a Sri Lankan Buddhist Scholar, who led the rehabilitation of both sacred sites.  I then wondered how such Sri Lankan Scholars permitted the growth of a ‘fundamentalist’ stream of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.  I hope they assert the values of Buddha and remove the politicians, and fundamentalists bringing disrepute to the Lord.  It’s never too late.

Wat Yai Chai Mongkorn - Where Scholars trained in Sri Lanka Stayed

Wat Chaiwatthanaram - In memory of the Queen Mother

One after the other, I went to the sites I wanted to see.  All looked grand, ruined and similar.  Where ever I went, the Lord was sleeping, meditating or blessing.  He wasn’t angry as some of the Hindu deities are, or in pain, as Jesus is.

Sleeping Buddha at Wat Lokaya Sutha, Ayuthaya

At Wat Mahathat the roots of the tree had embraced the Lord.  

At another, a massive Buddha, 19 m tall, was called, Golden Buddha.  Not sure if it is made of gold, but it is possible that a smaller one, just in front of the BIG one is made of gold.

Golden Buddha

At two sites in Ayutthaya, I saw several yellow t-shirt groups being lectured on how to prevent the spread of the Corona Virus, which is menacing China, Thailand, the Philippines, and the others.  I assumed that the speakers were from the health department or an NGO.  The volunteers, once well-informed, were to go on spreading the message.  I sensed a community spirit among them.

One of the organizers explained what was going on to me, and was happy to tell me that he had been to the Temple of Tooth, in Sri Lanka.  I recalled a Nepali, I met a few years ago, who told me about his pilgrimage to Nagadeepa, another Buddhist shrine in Sri Lanka.  I have not heard of Sri Lanka, promoted as a religious-tourist location.  I think the Government needs to consider promoting Sri Lanka, at least in the Far-East as a Religious tourist destination.

Wishing 'Well' at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhorn - 

People make a wish and drop a coin from the top of the Stupa

The next day, I visited the Grand Palace, the Emerald Buddha Chappel, and Wat Pho. 

Having got used to the driver, and I asked him if he would like to show me around the sites of Bangkok, for a similar fee.  He declined and advised me to take public transport, the Airport Link and the Metropolitan Rapid Transit.  He said it will be more efficient and would cost me a fraction.  And, he was right.  There are three rail links in Bangkok, the Airport Rail Link, Metropolitan Rapid Transit, and the State Railway of Thailand.  Unfortunately, they are not seamlessly woven together, but it is not difficult to go from one to another, where they intersect.  I used the MRT and the ARL, very inexpensive and well connected.

At the Wat Pho, where the reclining Buddha is, I witnessed something very sweet.  Along the walls, there are wishing bowls, in which people drop a coin and make a wish.  I saw a young man with European appearance, must be British, because, he made his wish in English, followed by his wife/girlfriend.  The man wished that he should have a baby soon, and the women followed him said, 'I wish the same'.  I too wish the same for both of them.

The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho

The Grand Palace -  You must see to appreciate the grandeur

The Emerald Buddha Chappel at the Grand Palace

And finally, it will be remiss of me, if I do not comment on the sex industry in Bangkok.  In 1993, when I went, I was stalked by prostitutes and harassed by pimps.  It is no longer the case.  Maybe I look old enough so that I attract neither of them.  But, I think the city has developed, citizens are better educated, and the industry is better regulated.  Yes, it is all there, but, only for those looking for them, not, for others.