pyres

They cremated their dead on wood funeral pyres for three days, to purify the bodies of the deceased and transition their souls back into the Earth.

Grieving survivors have gathered around funeral pyres to send off 13 people who died in the 6.4-magnitude quake.

The 13 bodies were carried on Sunday to the banks of the Bheri River and placed on pyres made of stacked wood.

The dig uncovered relics, intact burials and traces of cremation pyres spanning six centuries.

Along the great crescent sweep of the river, smoke billowed from the pyres that burn night and day.