Though Jayalalithaa led AIADMK party, whose leaders were atheists, she personally was a believer. She used to pray every day before she goes out for work which proved that she was not an atheist. Yet she was buried instead of being cremated, the decision which was taken by the party members. No relative of Jayalalithaa was involved in this decision as they say.
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As it is believed in Hinduism that, if the last rituals are not performed as per the customs of the religion, the soul of the dead wouldn’t get moksha. With this understanding, relatives of Jaya performed her funeration again and cremated her this time. The priest conducted the ritual at Srirangapatna on the banks of Cauvery river in accordance with Iyengar customs and cremated a doll which represented Jaya.
Jayalalithaa’s cousin Varadaraju and the other relatives who attend the ritual expressed their grief saying that the party should have respected her belief and conducted her last rites according to the Iyengar tradition which was not done. They said at least now Jaya’s soul would attain moksha.
