A crematory where the departed ones can chill

Huzurabad (Karimnagar): The entire place looks quite inviting, if one goes by its striking pictures. Alas! The alluring snaps are not those of an exotic getaway or a picturesque resort, much less a place where one would like to stay. The locale is the home for the dead and a landscape for the bereaved to bid a final farewell to the deceased.

This mightily beautiful Hindu crematorium complex, constructed on the banks of Chiluka vagu (stream) near the Ranganayakula hillock, ready to be thrown open on Wednesday, is perhaps aesthetically the best place the town has. Like other towns, Huzurabad has been facing space crunch when it comes to burials and last rites for a long time. In addition, there is a woeful lack of infrastructure such as water, rest rooms, toilets, concrete platforms for cremation and storeroom for firewood, and other material.

This state-of-the-art Hindu crematory came up over 2 acres, involving an outlay of Rs 1.80 crore. Indubitably, the best in the region, it is now regarded as a model. The crematory has four pyres, locker facility to store burial urns of cremated remains, a kitchen and a dining hall that can accommodate 300 people at a time. A separate hall has been constructed for those orphaned.

The imposing idol of Lord Shiva, believed to be the creator and destroyer of the universe, in a meditative pose in the burial ground is grabbing eyeballs. Outside the complex, the authorities have constructed two rooms for those residing in rented houses, apparently because many of the landlords don’t allow tenants to carry out last rites on their premises.

Speaking to The Hans India, Huzurabad Nagar Panchayat Chairman V Vijay Kumar thanked Finance Minister E Rajender for sanctioning funds for the construction of such a magnificent crematorium. He said that the minister would inaugurate the facility on Wednesday.

By Adepu Mahender