Newari Funeral Procession

This painting depicts a funeral procession with the kaya baja and naya khi in front, followed by a person carrying a kharpan (two baskets hung on either end of a bamboo pole that is slung across the shoulders) with firewood, some bundles of straw and a burning guitha (sun-dried dung) in a clay pot. The crying daughters of the deceased come next, throwing money, roasted rice paddy and vermilion on the road. A man carrying incense is ahead of the dead body. The Newars take fire from their own hearth to cremate the dead. In groups of four, guthiyaars take turns carrying the dead body, which is bundled in a shroud and placed on a bamboo pyre. Behind the pyre walk the sons wrapped in a shawl, other male relatives and the guthiyaar. At the end of the procession walks a man carrying a large bundle of straw.

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