- Families in Gorkha performed symbolic funerals for six relatives missing after their vehicle was swept away by the Bhotekoshi River in late August.
- Following Hindu tradition, families cremated effigies made of sacred kusha grass because physical bodies could not be recovered despite ongoing search efforts.
- The rituals for the driver and five passengers were conducted at the confluence of the Marsyangdi and Chepe rivers to provide religious closure.
Gorkha, Nepal: Families of people who went missing after a vehicle was swept away by the Bhotekoshi River have performed symbolic funeral rites using kusha grass after their bodies could not be recovered.
The vehicle had left Naukhar of Palungtar Municipality-5, Gorkha, for Gosainkunda and was swept away by the Bhotekoshi River after reaching Bhaisē in Nuwakot on Bhadra 10. Five bodies have so far been recovered, while the whereabouts of other passengers remain unknown.
As the missing persons' bodies could not be found, their families decided to perform the final rites according to Hindu tradition. On Wednesday, six symbolic bodies made from kusha grass were prepared and cremated at the confluence of the Marsyangdi and Chepe rivers, local community leader Anjan Devkota said.
The symbolic bodies were prepared in the names of vehicle driver Sagar Devkota, Rammaya Devkota, Padyakumari Devkota, Durga Devkota, Nanumaya Devkota and Susma Neupane Pokhrel.
Devkota said relatives had waited for several days hoping that the missing people might still be found alive. After the body of one of the victims was recovered in Bharatpur, however, the families became increasingly concerned about the fate of those who remained missing.
“Three days were spent hoping that they would be found alive. After one body was found in Bharatpur, we began to fear that the others might also have died,” Devkota said.
Relatives continued to search for the missing people but could not recover their bodies. The families then decided to carry out the funeral rites using symbolic bodies made from kusha.
Religious significance of Kusha
Kusha, also known as darbha, is a sacred grass traditionally used in Hindu religious ceremonies. Its botanical name is Desmostachya bipinnata. The grass is used in various rituals, including puja, Shraddha, Tarpan and other ceremonies associated with ancestors and the deceased.
In Hindu practice, kusha is associated with ritual purity and is commonly used by priests and devotees during religious observances. It is also used while making sankalpa, or a formal religious resolve, and during offerings made to ancestors.
The use of kusha in funeral and ancestral rituals varies among Hindu communities and regions. In some traditions, when the body of a deceased person cannot be recovered, a symbolic representation may be prepared from kusha so that the family can perform the customary funeral rites.
Such a symbolic body is not regarded as the actual physical remains of the deceased. It is used as part of the religious procedure when the body is unavailable.
A long-standing practice
The practice is particularly relevant in cases involving people who die in rivers, mountains, natural disasters or other circumstances in which their bodies cannot be recovered.
For Hindu families, funeral rites are an important religious responsibility. When the body is missing, the inability to conduct the usual cremation can create difficulties in completing those rituals. The use of a kusha effigy provides an accepted ritual form in communities where this practice is followed.
In the Bhotekoshi case, the families have followed this tradition after waiting for the recovery of the missing persons.
Tooth found during Sarita Adhikari's funeral
A similar ritual was performed for Sarita Adhikari Pandit on Tuesday. Family members said a tooth was found while the symbolic body made from kusha was being cremated.
The family believes the tooth may belong to Sarita. They took it to the cremation site and cremated it together with the symbolic body. However, there has been no official confirmation that the tooth belonged to her.
Search for missing people continues
Search efforts for people who went missing after the vehicle was swept away by the Bhotekoshi flood are continuing. However, the bodies of all the missing people have not yet been recovered.
For families who have not been able to recover the bodies of their relatives, the kusha ritual has provided a way to carry out the funeral rites according to their religious tradition.
The use of kusha in the funerals also reflects the continuing role of traditional Hindu practices in Nepali communities, particularly when families face circumstances in which conventional funeral rites cannot be performed.
