Hindu urn burial in Norway: an option for the future?

ABSTRACT

Is open pyre cremation and ash dispersion in running water the universal default disposal for Hindus? Images of open pyre cremation and ash dispersion at the banks of the river Ganges still perpetuate our popular Orientalist perceptions of Hindu disposal; an ancient, exotic and unchanging traditional practice. However, such perceptions obscure the empirical reality. Hindu funeral practice in South Asia as well as in diaspora, have been in constant flux, regulated and changing greatly during the last century. Inhumation has been a major alternative to cremation for Hindus in South Asia and in diaspora during the last century. In this paper, I highlight a few novel examples of recent establishment of Hindu urn burial sections within municipal cemeteries in Norway. These cases show a continuation of traditional Hindu funeral practice in South Asia, as well as change and innovation adopted in Norway. However, none of the 300 urn graves within the two established Hindu cemetery sections in Norway have been utilised so far. What are the underlying factors for Hindu urn burial which renders the option non-compliance? Why do the majority of Hindus in Norway continue to opt for dispersion of ashes in their land of origin or in Norway?

KEYWORDS:

• Cremation
• burial
• disposal
• Hindu
• regulation

Acknowledgement

I am indebted to the editors and reviewers of Mortality, and Susan Matland who have read and commented drafts of this article. Thanks to all the participants who generously shared their time. Department of Public Health and Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Technology and Science provided funding for this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Some parts of this paper are based on material from a previous publication by the author in a somewhat revised form (Hadders, 2013).

2. Any further discussion of the relationship between The Church of Norway and state falls outside the scope of this paper.

3. Earlier there were 38 crematoria in Norway. Due to strict environmental emission, regulations there are only 26 in operation at present.

4. Dispersion of ashes was first allowed within The Funeral Act of 1997.

5. Any further detail about this large body of literature and tradition falls outside the scope of this paper (see Firth, 1997; Flood, 1996).

6. At the time of snakebite, burial may be practised and in some cases of disease water burial is practised avoiding contagion.

7. Personal communication with Per Øyvind Skrede, in charge of Stavanger cemeteries.

8. Personal communication with Sissel Bryne Hedland, in charge of Stavanger cemeteries.

9. I am indebted to Ola Asp who made me aware of Brenna’s book.

10. Sikh cremation practice is in some ways like Hindu cremation practice. Sikhs sometime practise burial of ashes. However, there is a prohibition against the erection of any memorial.

11. Norwegian citizens have the legal right to 20 years of grave space for free; either a coffin grave or an urn grave. A coffin grave can contain eight urns (The Funeral Act,2012).

12. My father-in-law has lived and worked in Trondheim, Norway since 1971. He died on the 25^th of September 2020 and was cremated at Moholt crematorium on the 2^nd of October 2020. My mother-in-law and the rest of the family in Norway decided that father-in-law’s ashes should be buried at Moholt cemetery, at a traditional Norwegian cemetery section with traditional gravestones. Father-in-law’s urn was buried on the 10^th of November 2020. A gravestone with a Hindu OM symbol, his name, date of birth and death, and with the common Norwegian gravestone inscription ‘thanks for everything’ was erected at the grave site in December 2020. My Hindu mother-in-law’s ashes shall be buried at father-in-law’s gravesite when she dies.

13. Quotes are translated from Norwegian to English by the author

14. Translation from Norwegian to English by the author. Author have got written consent from the applicant to use the anonymised translation of the application letter for publication.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hans Hadders

Hans Hadders, PhD in social anthropology, RN, is an associate professor at Department of Public Health and Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim, Norway. Hadders main research focus is on mortuary rituals and standardisation of death in South Asia and within the Norwegian health care.