13 Days
1. Bring body on the ground. Put a mixture in mouth made ofTulsi, gangajal and gold. Cover face, direction of head is important. In mirzapur towards north. Then body is bathed, massaged with oil, new clothing or favorite clothing. Physical and astral body. Get bamboo stretcher. 4 people, preferably sons, bring the body to cremation place while chanting ‘ram naam satya hai’(only god’s name is true). Cremate ASAP to release the soul from the physical body.
Among six pindas (flour/rice, til, and jau) first one is offered at the death place, second at the door?, 2 on the way, one on the pyre, and last one after body is burned. This is offering food to the deceased for the journey?.
At the cremation ground usually the oldest son circles around the pyre with ghad that has a hole and water is spilling. He starts the fire and at some point breaks the skull. bone collection etc. In the mean time women clean the house. Throw stuff.
return- eat neem’s leaf or black pepper, spit out and kulla outside. Then enter the house keeping young child at the door. That day no one cooks in the house and grain is avoided. For the remaining 9 days avoid oil, no soap, fragrance, makeup and sleep. The main person, usually the oldest son, sleeps on the ground. His food is prepared separately. Sand covered.
2. eat food made out of milk and rice. Food should be simple without spice. Listen to garudpurad until finished, usually by 10th day. Pieces from ramayan (death od dashrath, ram’s marriage), gita, and hanuman chaleesa.
3-9 days regular but plain food once a day. Garudpuran continues.
10. Day of cleansing: family takes ritual bath at ganga ji. Men shave their hair and women cut nails and wear new clothes, bangles. Now, the astral body leaves too. Offer 16 pindas for new body parts. Mix 3 pindas together.
11. farewell to Mahapatra (special priest who only performs death rituals). They are not allowed in the house. Feed them out of the village, under peepal tree and offer money, bed, cow and favorites of the deceased.
12. Start karmkand (different kind of pooja) which is performed by good brahman.
13. Invite whole neighborhood, friends, relatives for a feast.
In addition, there are 1 month, one year, gaya and pitrupaksh shraddha(rituals).