Lucknow, Aug 31 - Notwithstanding stiff opposition from some village elders, three sisters in Uttar Pradesh performed the funeral of their grandfather in contrast to the Hindu tradition of only men performing the last rites.

Rinku Yadav, 27, a post-graduate from Gorakhpur University, alongwith her younger sisters Reema and Anju - both in their early 20s - performed the last rites of their 70-year-old grandfather Veer Bahadur in the Bhagalpur village of Deoria district, some 300 km from Lucknow.

'It came as a shock for us when we saw the girls lighting the pyre at the Kalicharan ghat along the banks of Saryu river,' Pawan Mishra, a resident of the Bhagalpur village, told IANS.

'The aged residents of the village were against their decision... They warned the girls not to go against the Hindu tradition, otherwise they would invite the wrath of the villagers. However, they (sisters) did not pay any heed and performed the last rites,' added Mishra.

According to locals, Bahadur died Sunday morning and his last rites were performed later in the day as per vedic traditions.

In the absence of any male member in the family, the three sisters decided to perform the funeral rites of their grandfather.