Funeral Pyres

Funeral Pyres is a qawwali composition performed by Pakistani vocalist Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The track appears as the 28th entry on the album Bandit Queen, Vol. 51, released on January 1, 1995 under the label Oriental Star Agencies Ltd. The recording spans 1 minute and 56 seconds and was distributed in digital media format.

The album forms part of a larger series associated with the soundtrack of the 1994 Hindi-language film Bandit Queen, directed by Shekhar Kapur. While the film’s original score primarily featured compositions by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Vol. 51 compiles additional or extended recordings from the project. The label Oriental Star Agencies Ltd. specialized in South Asian devotional and classical music during this period, with Khan serving as one of its prominent artists.

Funeral Pyres exemplifies Khan’s signature fusion of traditional qawwali with cinematic themes. The track’s brevity contrasts with his typically longer improvisational performances, suggesting an edited or thematic excerpt. Lyric content and musical arrangement details remain undocumented in available sources. The album’s liner notes, if originally included, do not circulate widely in digital archives.

Khan’s contributions to Bandit Queen marked one of his final collaborations before his death in 1997. The soundtrack series, including Vol. 51, received limited commercial promotion outside South Asian markets. No official music videos or live renditions of Funeral Pyres are verified in public records.