Hindu Priests Chant for Earthquake Victims

BHUJ, India, Feb. 7 (AP) -- In front of an altar fashioned from shipping crates, Hindu priests prayed for the victims of India's quake Wednesday, chanting Sanskrit verses and name after name into the dusty air, remembering those killed by the worst earthquake to hit India in 50 years.

The 12th day after someone's death has special significance for Hindus and is normally observed by prayers. But Wednesday's ceremony was especially poignant as the confirmed death toll from the Jan. 26 quake reached 17,000. That number could go as high as 30,000 before the counting is over, according to Haren Pandya, Gujarat state home minister.

U.N. disaster management officials said Tuesday they believed as many as 1 million people were left homeless by the 7.7 magnitude quake.

The prayer organizers, followers of the Gujarati holy man Swami Narayan, used newspaper ads to encourage residents to phone in the names of the dead so that they could be read at the daylong service.

Since many are not sure when their relatives died -- or have even managed to recover a body for cremation -- the priests decided to hold the service Wednesday for all the dead, said Brahmaviharidutt, a Hindu priest who uses only one name.

The prayers will end the traditional mourning period observed by the survivors and help people move on with recovery efforts, Brahmaviharidutt said. ``After the 12th day, the soul goes on to the next life,'' he explained.

A painting of Vishnu, the Hindu god known as the preserver, and photographs of Pragat Brahmaswaprrop, believed to be the direct spiritual descendant of Swami Narayan, an 18th century Hindu ascetic, sat on the improvised altar surrounded by marigold petals. A dozen priests in saffron robes chanted into a microphone in Bhuj's main square.

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