"It's the correct thing to do, since Gandhi's three younger sons' families have participated in earlier funeral rituals," Usha Gokani, one of Gandhi's granddaughters, told The Associated Press.
Scattered Ashes
The ashes scattered on Wednesday had been kept by Sriman Narayan, a close friend of Gandhi. After Narayan's death last year, his son sent them to a museum.
The museum had planned to display the ashes, but Gandhi's family said he would have preferred them scattered at sea.
"I hope this is the last of the ashes," Gokani said. "This is more appropriate than preserving [the ashes] in a permanent display."
The last time an urn was found was in 1997 in a bank vault in northern India.
Then Gandhi's great-grandson, Tushar Gandhi, spread the ashes at the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamuna rivers, considered sacred by Hindus.
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