Now comes the third and final ceremony related to the cremation which starts on the 14th. This is a two day program full of ‘Kriyas’ which are usually held early in the morning. Participants should have their ‘breakfast’ only after doing these ‘Kriyas’, on both days. In the past, an outside man was employed to cook the food for these participants and to have full assistance in the various processes involved. This man is called in the local language as ‘Enangan’. He has to cook the food for the members who are doing the ‘Kriyas’ in connection with the cremation ceremony and he has to take a bath before cooking. He also has to help the group to do the various ‘Kriyas’.
Another outside man is employed to guide the participants through the various rituals while the ‘Kriyas’ of the cremation ceremony are performed. This man must have a deep understanding of rituals and is known by the name ‘Elayath’. He, with the help of the ‘Enangan’, will carry out the procedures of the rituals on the 14th and 15th. But at present, due to practical difficulties, usually no one does all these things within the premises of the house. In nearby places there are ‘professional groups’ for these and most people are taking their ‘services’ for these ‘last rituals’.
All the members who had previously participated in the transport of the corpse to the cremation ground and then in the ‘asthi perukkal’ function, will come together once more for this last ritual. A notable point in these functions is the participation of the members as wives, daughters, nieces or other close relatives. That night they will not take any rice food. (This is called ‘Orickal’, which literally means ‘only once’. The gist is that they can have ‘heavy food’ only once a day during this period and during the other two times they can only have ‘very light food’. like some fruits or something.) Early the next morning, that’s day 14 of the cremation, the last rituals begin.
This day also the participants of the rituals have to observe the ‘Orickal’. Usually the rituals, which are known in the vernacular as ‘Kriyas’, are held near the riverbeds of nearby holy places such as ‘Thirunnawaya Temple’ near ‘Ponnani’ or ‘Pampadi Ivar Madam ‘ near ‘Ottapalam’. (In earlier days, these were also held at the ‘Tharavadu’, meaning one’s ‘main house’ or ‘ancestral house’). Once the rituals of the 14th day are completed, the group comes and rests in the house, where they have gathered. That day they also have to observe the ‘Orickal’. The next day, which is the 15th day of death, the rituals begin again. It takes place in the same place as on the 14th. This is the last day of the ‘cremation procedure’. When that ends, the participants disperse. One very important thing is that during these two days, the participating members cannot touch any other outside person.