Rayagada: A 65-year-old tribal man who had embraced Christianity was buried on his family's agricultural land after villagers allegedly refused to allow his burial in the village cremation ground, leading to a delay of more than 26 hours in performing his last rites.

The incident occurred at Gajigaon village under Rayagada block in Odisha's Rayagada district.

The deceased, identified as Jakaka Dam, had converted to Christianity around four to five years ago. He had been undergoing treatment for an illness for the past few months and died at around 8 a.m. on Thursday.

According to family members, they had planned to bury him in accordance with Christian customs at the local cremation ground. However, villagers reportedly opposed the move, claiming that the cremation ground was reserved for members of the Hindu tribal community who follow traditional customs and that only cremations, not burials, are permitted there.

The villagers allegedly argued that allowing the burial of a Christian in the cremation ground would violate local religious traditions and offend the village deity, Jhangidi Devi. As a result, the family was unable to conduct the funeral on Thursday, leaving the body at home for more than a day.

With no alternative burial site available, the family finally laid Jakaka Dam to rest on Friday in the farmland where he had worked for years to support his family. The burial was conducted according to Christian rites.

Sources said Gajigaon village has around 200 families, of which only six tribal families have converted to Christianity. The deceased is survived by three sons and other family members.

No formal complaint has been lodged with the authorities regarding the incident.

The situation also disrupted village life, as local custom dictates that no cooking takes place in the village until funeral rites are completed whenever a resident dies. Consequently, cooking remained suspended while the funeral was delayed due to the dispute over the burial site.

The incident has highlighted the challenges that can arise when religious practices and long-standing village traditions come into conflict in rural areas.