BBC News
By Geeta Pandey
image captionMandira Bedi performed husband Raj Kaushal s funeral rites
Indian actress and TV presenter Mandira Bedi recently hit the headlines for performing her husband s last rites. Cremations are traditionally done by men, and women are often discouraged from even attending. But where does this belief come from and what do Hindu scriptures say about it?
With a clay pot containing holy water in one hand and holding up the bier - a bamboo frame - carrying the body of Raj Kaushal with another, Bedi wept as she did the rituals and lit his funeral pyre.