<P> The final disposition depends on the personal preferences of the deceased as well as their cultural and religious beliefs . Some religions will permit the cremated remains to be sprinkled or retained at home . Some religions, such as Roman Catholicism, prefer to either bury or entomb the remains . Hinduism obliges the closest male relative (son, grandson, etc .) of the deceased to immerse the cremated remains in the holy river Ganges, preferably at the holy city of Triveni Sangam, Allahabad, or Varanasi or Haridwar, India . The Sikhs immerse the remains in Sutlej, usually at Sri Harkiratpur . In southern India, the ashes are immersed in the river Kaveri at Paschima vahini in Srirangapattana at a stretch where the river flows from east to west, depicting the life of a human being from sunrise to sunset . In Japan and Taiwan, the remaining bone fragments are given to the family and are used in a burial ritual before final interment . </P> <P> Aside from religious reasons (discussed below), some people find they prefer cremation over traditional burial for personal reasons . The thought of a long and slow decomposition process is unappealing to some; many people find that they prefer cremation because it disposes of the body instantly . </P> <P> Other people view cremation as a way of simplifying their funeral process . These people view a ground burial as an unneeded complication of their funeral process, and thus choose cremation to make their services as simple as possible . </P> <P> In agriculturally dependent India, it was believed quite early that interring bodies to rot in the soil might render the soil infertile . This is why cremation was preferred initially, even before it was introduced into the Rigveda . </P>

Where was the first formal cremation done in the us