Day 15 witnesses the final act of the cremation process. That day is generally called ‘Pathinaradyanthram’, which can be translated as the ‘feast of the 16th’. For this party, all the near and dear ones of the deceased gather on the premises of his house and everyone is given a good party. Apart from family members, local people are also invited for this. This can be small or very large; that everything depends on the economic capacity of the deceased relatives.

With this pomp and show ends the cremation ceremony for a member of the ‘Valluvanad Nair family’. Now, just after one year, which is reckoned on the ‘star’ (‘Nakshathram’ in the vernacular) of the day of death and not according to the reckoning of the modern calendar, the annual day is observed and is called ‘Srardham’ . But for that only the available near and dear ones get together and do the ‘Kriyas’. During the ‘Srardham’ day, special ‘Kriyas’ are held on the premises of the house or on the riverbeds mentioned above. If family members wish, they can make some ‘Payasam’ (pudding) and dedicate it to ‘Almighty God’.

The ‘Srardhams’ are also indirectly connected with the cremation process and these days the 1st Srardham is held in the riverbeds of locally famous temples such as the ‘Thirunelli Temple’ near ‘Waynad’, the ‘ Thirunnawaya’ Temple near ‘Ponnani’ or ‘Perur Temple’. ‘ near ‘Coimbatore’. All these temples are locally famous for performing the ‘Kriyas’, in connection with cremation. The general belief is that once this type of 1st Srardham is celebrated, there is no longer any need to repeat the ‘Srardhams’ observance every year!

I really don’t know if I have been successful in narrating to you the general procedures regarding cremation within the ‘Valluvanad Nair Community’. If you get at least some basic ideas on the subject from reading these articles, I am really satisfied. Thus, there will be innumerable customs, manners and ways of behaving among the various sectors of the people within all of humanity. It would be really interesting, if someone brings out these kinds of different ways and customs, for example, the different ways of ‘cremation processes’ from all these sections together, in a book format. Hopefully one day, someone will!

I sincerely wish that someone within this community could read this, so that if there are corrections or additions, they can add them!

I also sincerely hope that such descriptions of the various communities and groups in this ‘wide world’ will be put into print and if we have such a book, it will be really useful for all generations today and tomorrow! Hopefully one day, someone will!