A mass funeral of those killed in the flash floods began on Wednesday at Kedar Valley in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand.
The task of performing the final rites of the dead took place in accordance with the religious tenets. Rudraprayag district magistrate Dileep Jawalkar could not specify the number of bodies that were cremated.
The funeral took place amid concern about outbreak of diseases due to the decomposing bodies and poor sanitation in the flood-hit areas, Aid workers warned that the decomposing bodies are contaminating the rivers and other water sources.
"We are getting reports from the field that there are rotting bodies lying around, many of them semi-buried in soil and rubble that came down from the mountains," Zubin Zaman, Humanitarian Manager for Oxfam India, told Reuters.
"There are also carcasses of livestock in rivers and streams and this has, of course, contaminated so many of their water sources. But people are desperate and are being forced to consume water they wouldn't otherwise."
"Under no circumstances can we allow an outbreak of an epidemic," senior disaster management official KN Pandey told news agency AFP.
Over 600 dead bodies were found in the deposit in and around the 1,000-year-old Kedarnath shrine, one of the holiest Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Many of dead could not be identified as portions of the corpses were eaten by animals or torn off by the gushing waters, Hindustan Times reported.
The government will also conduct a mahayagna in Haridwar for the departed souls after the funerals ends on Friday.
"A yagna is also been conducted in Haridwar for the departed souls. NDMA is coordinating and Uttarakhand government is taking care of the cremation," NDMA vice chairman M Shashidhar Reddy said, according to IANS.
