Gṛhaśuddhi

Gṛhaśuddhi is the post-death purificatory ritual for the family in the Newar Buddhist tradition. It is called Ghasū in Nepalbhasha. After the demise of a person, the family members and close relatives are considered ritually impure, bound by the grief of their loved one. They observe mourning for a certain number of days and perform the various prescribed rites. At the end of the mourning period, on the seventh or eleventh day, the purification of the home is performed by a Vajrācārya through a homa ritual. Pic. 017 shows a sketch of the ritual setup. The ritual of Gṛhaśuddhi is an integral part of the post-death rites and is still performed with reverence.