In a Buddhist funeral, the followers of the religion are particular about performing detailed rites and rituals during the funeral service. The funeral ceremony, according to Buddhism, signifies the setting free of the deceased’s soul, which was trapped in the mundane world of existence, and its quest for a new life thereafter.
The Buddhist funeral ceremonies which conclude with cremation in most cases, are carried out by monks with the help of the family. When a person has died, Buddhist monks recite sutras from holy books to allow the good energies to be set free from the soul. While the chanting continues, the deceased is prepared for the funeral and for visitors to pay last respects, so that there is no decay even if the final rites are delayed. After bathing the body, it is put in a coffin with candles, bouquets, fragrant incense and a picture of the deceased person.
When the final rituals are deferred to allow far away relatives to come for paying their last respects to the deceased, invited monks visit the residence daily to read and chant from the Buddhist holy book Abhidharma.
On the day of the funeral, Buddhist monks perform the final rituals and their head monk gives a brief speech in honour of the deceased person focusing on his achievements in life and comforting the aggrieved family that death is destiny. Other rites like wrapping the casket with a white cloth during the religious invocation and Pansakula, a custom of delivering blessings and virtues to the soul of the deceased are also performed.