Talk:Major Steps in Hindu Funeral Cremation Ceremony:Pre Cremation Ceremonies
From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia
Led by a Pundit, the male family members (especially the sons, or nephews of the deceased) perform a shrāddha ceremony in which the Devas are invoked and pleaded with to provide a safe passage to the ātmā of the deceased. They are given offerings of rice balls (‘piṇda’), which are placed at cross-roads on the way, within the home and also at the cremation grounds.