Rajasthan: Villagers walk across a river with body to reach cremation ground

In a village near Udaipur, pall bearers have to walk across a river with a dead body to the cremation ground because there is no bridge.

Dying is a messy rite of passage for a Hindu in Rawat Basti area of Bhinder Panchayat Samiti, barely 30 km from here.

Relatives of a dead man in Rawat Basti village near Udaipur carry his body across the Bedach river to the cremation ground. (HT Photo)

The last journey of a deceased has to face many difficulties to reach the cremation ground which is across a river. Pall bearers have to cross the river with the dead body on their shoulders. For much of the year, the Bedach river remains shallow, but crossing it with a dead body and articles for the cremation ritual is a difficult and risky task and remain an obstacle course.

Rawat Basti village has 150 families. They have been demanding a bridge over the river but the government is yet to decide on building one.

Nirmal Jain Sarpanch of Maharaja Ki Khedi Gram Panchayat while talking about the issue said that the there soon

“A bridge should be constructed in the area as it will be a big relief for the residents of the village. I had written a letter to the authorities in this but an appropriate action is still to be taken,” said Nirmal Jain Sarpanch of Maharaja Ki Khedi Gram Panchayat told HT.

Yashodra Chavda, pradhan of Vallabh Nagar gram panchayat told HT that has instructed block development officer Jitentder Singh Rajavat to survey the affected area and submit a report following which he would petition the government for a bridge. He was optimistic that a bridge could be built in the near future.