Question about burial of British colonials in India (18th C.)

idempotent1729

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Apologies for a rather lugubrious funereal question:

In the 18th Century, I know that in England the custom would be to let a body lie in state a few days before funeral and burial. My question is whether this still stood for British colonials in the hotter climate of India (Calcutta), or whether funeral and burial occurred more immediately following death. Thanks for any leads!
 

samchapman

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I'm sorry to not be certain about the practices in colonized areas, but are you sure that all bodies would be left lying in state in England? From all I can find, the body would be prepared, viewed at the funeral, and then buried. It wouldn't be likely to sit out unless the person who died was extremely famous or important, and even then I'm pretty sure it would be embalmed first.

Although I don't quite know--do you have a source for your original claim? I am prepared to eat all my words with a sauce of humility.