Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Why did the doms originally perform this task?
Because the Brahmins could not, the dom raja answered matter-
of-factly.
Why?
The Brahmins could perform cremation rituals, chant mantras,
and so on. But they couldn't provide the actual fire.
Why?
Because burning a body was a sin, like murder. The karma of the
deceased could be passed on. No one wanted
that
responsibility. So
the job, like everything else that was unpalatable to caste Hindus,
was given over to the Untouchables, the doms. They would bear the
consequences. But, unlike cleaning out septic tanks, this task, being
cosmically indispensable, carried with it a certain amount of kudos.
I asked him why he personally would take on such an awesome
and hazardous job.
'Because he has no other way of earning a living,' Amar answered
quickly, a tone of desperation creeping into his voice.
His father nodded.
If he burned a murderer, I inquired, would that mean he might
have to suffer those consequences, endure the punishments for that
man's crime? The dom raja nodded thoughtfully, as if this idea had
never before crossed his mind.
Amar explained that even the son who actually lit the pyre with
the dom raja's flame was considered impure for days after.
'Even a man dying of thirst,' he emphasised, 'would not accept
water from this son during that time.'
How much did the king of death charge for his flames?
There was all-round shrugging, and more debate. The reply,
ultimately, was that, like much else in India, this depended on how
much a customer could afford.
'If poor man has no money,' Amar told me expansively, not
wishing to give the impression that his family were greedy, 'then he
can give some land.'
'Land?'
'Some little . . . a few acres . . .'
I'd heard that the dom raja was reputed to be one of the largest
landowners in India. A field here, a paddy there, a thousand miles
