The handprints or Sati marks of ladies who died on the pyres, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Mahasati pyre platforms, Chittorgarh (Fort), Chittor, Rajasthan, India, Asia

Painting of Joan of Arc on the pyre by Jules-Eugene Leneuveu, Pantheon, Paris, France, Europe

Hindu cremation, funeral pyre, Tiruchirappali, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia

Illustration of suttee, suicide of an Indian wife on her husband's funeral pyre, illustration from the Itinerario of Jan Huygen van Linschoten, the 16th century Dutch traveller, India, Asia

Tourists watch body bathed in River Ganges and traditional Hindu cremation on funeral pyre at Manikarnika Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Body of dead Hindu woman carried in procession in street for funeral pyre cremation by the Ganges, Varanasi, Benares, Northern India

Body burning on funeral pyre at Hindu cremation at Manikarnika crematorium Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Body of dead Hindu carried in procession in street for funeral pyre cremation by the Ganges, Varanasi, Benares, Northern India

Tourists watch body bathed in River Ganges and traditional Hindu cremation on funeral pyre at Manikarnika Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Body bathed in River Ganges and traditional Hindu cremation on funeral pyre at Manikarnika Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Body burning on funeral pyre at Hindu cremation at Manikarnika crematorium Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Cremation at funeral ceremony, island of Bali, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

People at cremation, island of Bali, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Fire ritual at chiwang monastery during the mani rimdu festival. these monks circumambulate the pyre after its ignition. one holds a long book wrapped in a felicitous scarf. the purifying fire takes the offering and raises them towards the sky in smoke. the circumambulatory ritual also recalls the way disciples showed respect for the buddhas body. solu khumbu, nepal

Boy recycling wood after a cremation at the Pashupatinath Temple, a Hindu temple of Lord Shiva on the banks of the Bagmati River, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

A cremation at the Pashupatinath Temple, a Hindu temple of Lord Shiva on the banks of the Bagmati River, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

Boys panning in the Bagmati River for gold from teeth and jewellery, after the remains of funeral pyres are tipped into the river, Pashupatinath Temple, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

A cremation at the Pashupatinath Temple, a Hindu temple of Lord Shiva on the banks of the Bagmati River, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

A cremation at the Pashupatinath Temple, a Hindu temple of Lord Shiva on the banks of the Bagmati River, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

Cattle infected with foot and mouth disease culled and burning on a funeral pyre in North Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Cattle infected with foot and mouth disease culled and burning on a funeral pyre in North Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Global warming is leading to increasingly frequent forest fires, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe

A funeral pyre burning infected animals with Foot and Mouth Disease near Longtown in Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Cattle infected with foot and mouth disease culled and burning on a funeral pyre in North Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Cattle infected with foot and mouth disease culled and burning on a funeral pyre in Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Global warming is leading to increasingly frequent forest fires, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Cattle infected with foot and mouth disease culled and burning on a funeral pyre in North Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Cattle infected with foot and mouth disease culled and burning on a funeral pyre in North Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Traditional funeral, untouchable priest of the lowest caste tending pyre, Pashupatinath, Nepal, Asia

Traditional funeral, people standing around a body on a pyre, while an untouchable priest of the lowest caste spreads wet reed over the body, Pashupatinath, Nepal, Asia

Pyre built for a fire at a village festival, Soultzmatt, Alsace, France, Europe

Smoking traditional cremation pyre, Pashupatinath, Nepal, Asia

Burning plants on farm in Trang An, Vietnam