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Hindu Rites for Flood Victims: Grass Effigies Offer Solace
7 Oct
Summary
- Families honor missing loved ones with grass effigies due to unrecovered bodies.
- Over 5,000 people remain missing after a deadly flood last month.
- Nepal legally presumes a missing person dead only after 12 years.
On the banks of the Bagmati River in Kathmandu, at the Pashupatinath temple, families are performing sacred Hindu rites for those lost in a devastating flood that swept through the China-Nepal border last month. When bodies cannot be recovered, a tradition involves creating symbolic effigies from sacred kusha grass to represent the deceased, allowing relatives to complete last rites.
With more than 5,000 individuals still missing and government rescue operations having ceased, this ritual is the only recourse for grieving families like Madan Lal Lawat's. Lawat lost five relatives, including his brother, in the flood. He recounted hearing from survivors that his brother was trying to warn villagers to evacuate when the waters hit.
The legal status of the missing adds a layer of complexity. In Nepal, a person is not officially presumed dead until 12 years after they go missing. This lengthy period complicates the grieving and recovery process for families still searching for answers and closure following the catastrophic flood.
