Prayers, ritual baths as Nepal ends earthquake mourning
7,800 people were killed and 300,000 homes destroyed across the country by the massive temblor
Dressed all in white and with their heads shaved, survivors of a Nepalese earthquake that killed more than 7,800 people ended 13 days of mourning yesterday as the broken capital began picking up the pieces.
As authorities released figures showing nearly 300,000 homes were destroyed by the quake nationwide, mourners gathered around a Hindu temple in Kathmandu for a series of ceremonies that would conclude at dusk.
Groups of mourners dressed in white, the men with their heads shaved and women with uncombed hair, drew religious symbols in the sand before building small fires at the famous Pashupatinath complex on the banks of the Bagmati river.
In a corner of the temple complex, where hundreds of cremations have been performed in the past fortnight, Hindu priests recited chants and threw petals over offerings of rice and other foods.
The mourners took ritual baths in the river, offering prayers for their departed loved ones and making donations of bedding, mats, umbrellas, clothing and fruit for temple workers.
“The loss is unbearable. We can only pray they find a home in heaven,” said Chuda Bhakta Shrestha, who lost his 61-yearold wife, 32-year-old daughter and granddaughter, aged four, when their Kathmandu home crumbled.
“We have to find a way to continue our lives and find the courage to start anew ... There is no alternative other than to carry on,” said the 61-year-old.
According to Hindu tradition, Nepalis mourn their dead for 13 days after which loved ones begin the painful task of trying to get on with their lives.
The earthquake which ripped through vast swathes of the impoverished Himalayan nation on April 25 was Nepal’s deadliest in more than 80 years.
With relief teams only just beginning to reach some of the worst-hit areas, which have been accessible only by foot, the number of dead is still climbing.
In its latest update, the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) put the death toll at 7,760 and the number of injured at 16,432. More than 100 were also killed in India and China.