FIGHT FOR SPACE IN CHRISTIAN CEMETERIES
Christians too are fighting for burial space. The shrinking of space in Christian cemeteries in Delhi has forced the community to sometimes adopt unorthodox funeral practices like cremation, according to Arnold James, chairman of Indian Christian Cemetery Committee. The Church of North India, for one, has included cremation among the liturgy in its Book of Worship. From apostolic times, Christians had followed the Semitic practice of burial and abstained from cremating their dead, a practice common in the Roman Empire. Till the 19th century, however, cremation saw a revival in Europe.
Older graveyards have now adopted a tier system, which allow family graves to be reused by a family member after a gap of 10 years.
Most old cemeteries in Delhi such as Nicholson cemetery, the Indian
CHALLENGED WITH LAND SCARCITY CHRISTIAN CEMETERIES HAVE ADOPTED OPTIONS LIKE REUSE OF GRAVES, TEMPORARY GRAVES, VAULTS FOR EXHUMED BONES AND EVEN CREMATION
Christian Cemetery in Paharganj and the York cemetery are now reusing graves by digging up existing graves for a second burial.
“Two new graveyards in Burari and Dwarka has sorted the problem for now but a constant increase in Christian population in the city might pose a new problem unless more space is sanctioned,” says James. As a solution, the St Thomas Christian Cemetery in Tughlakabad is planning a vertical burial space with cells to accommodate the dead.
Early last year, keeping in mind the severe land crunch, Asia’s largest Christian cemetery in central Mumbai’s Sewri raised the rates of permanent graves to ` 50,000. The cemetery authority, however, claimed that such a step is to discourage people from buying permanent graves, a practice that is fairly common among both Christians and Muslims. In the graveyards of some Mumbai churches where space is very tight, human remains are stored in wells.
Cemeteries across the country are now opting for different solutions like temporary graves that are reopened after one or two years, the use of vaults or niches to store the exhumed bones of the previous occupant and even banning the use of teakwood for coffins as it takes longer to decompose.