Thiruvananthapuram, India - Spiralling costs and the environmental pollution that graveyards cause, coupled with the Bible not barring cremations, Christians in Kerala are seriously viewing this as an alternative to burials.
"Read the Bible. Samuel 31:11-13 says that the bodies of Saul and his sons were burned and their bones were later buried. What's the problem if the Bible allows it?" asked a Mar Thoma church priest who performed the last rites for two of his flock who were cremated.
The Catholic Church does not forbid cremation. The Mar Thoma Church says written permission is mandatory and after the cremation, the ashes can be buried in a cemetery.
"We do not allow cremations if prior permission is not obtained," said the Mar Thomaite priest.
"It is quite surprising that this trend has not caught up among Kerala Christians. In Germany for instance, Christians are opting for cremation rather than burial. I myself led a cremation of a Catholic in Nuremberg," said Father Paul Thelekat, spokesperson of the Syro Malabar Catholic Church here.
Burials are becoming increasingly costlier in Kerala. Families which do not own plots in a cemetery have to pay between Rs.10,000 to Rs.500,000 depending on the church and the city they are in.
This apart, coffins cost Rs.2,000 to Rs.10,000.
Against this, a cremation costs a little over Rs.1,000.
"Apart from the increasing cost of burial in cemeteries, a serious issue that has surfaced in some parts of the state is the ground pollution caused by graveyards," he added.
"Given the population density in Kerala, graveyards now pose serious environmental pollutions as wells in their vicinity are becoming polluted," said Thelekat.
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who belongs to the orthodox church, faced the ire of his neighbours in his home town of Puthupally in Kottayam who discovered that wells near the church graveyard were highly polluted.
Even so, the Orthodox church does not permit cremations.
"Our church does not give permission for cremations, but there have been some instances of it," said an Orthodox church priest.
"My wife wanted to be cremated and I did not oppose her wish. After the cremation, I took her ashes and buried it in the cemetery of her parents' in a different church," said an Orthodox Christian.
The Church of South India (CSI) has started taking a liberal stand on the issue.
"The diocese here has not allowed cremation, but to my knowledge certain dioceses of our church have given permission for cremation. The reason for this is lack of space for cemeteries. We are yet to face the problem of space here," said Father Viju Varkey George, vicar of the CSI church here.
Twenty-three percent of Kerala's 31.8 million are Christians. Muslims make up 25 percent, while 52 percent are Hindus.