You might have often heard it that women in Hinduism are not allowed to present at the cremation ground where the dead body set to fire. According to the rituals, the son or any closed male member of the deceased lights the pyre fire to the body. Only male members perform the last rites. However, the fact is that the Hindu ritual doesn’t ban girls from visiting the funeral site or pyre fire to the body. Well, let’s know the reasons why women are not allowed to the cremation ground, reasons are made as per the public views:
1) Men and women are divided to follow different duties. Male members of the family leave for cremation ground whereas women clean the house and perform Pooja.
2) Some people say that it is so hard to watch the funeral. According to Hindu mythology, first the family members of the deceased must ensure that the dead body is fully burnt, only then they are allowed to leave the cremation ground. Sometimes different weather conditions make the dead body hard to burn fully, the body may cramp up and more horrific is sometimes the corpse jerks up and needs to be beaten back into the pyre using bamboo sticks. Such a scene can make any human being feel sick and because women are traditionally believed to be weaker mentally, they are asked to stay at the house.
3) Few people opined that because women can’t shave their head, they are not allowed. As per the Hindu theory of evils, a person must carry one of an evil element with himself while entering to cremation ground and perception is hair is the part of the body through which evil spirits can enter one’s body. This is the reason why hair is used in black magic.
