By Sharat Pradhan

LUCKNOW, India, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Hundreds of grieving Indians brought the bodies of their relatives to one of the few crematoriums not under water on Monday as fresh monsoon flooding spread misery among millions.

In the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, where 717 have people died as a result of the floods since June, most crematoriums were under water.

In Lucknow, the state capital, people were fighting to cremate their dead at the only crematorium to escape the floods.

"We have managed to shift the burning of bodies on a mound that is still above the water level," Ashok Misra, a Hindu priest, said.

"If it rains again, we will have no choice but to start cremation of dead bodies (on) embankments and on the road," he said.

Rising rivers have broken through mud embankments, swamped farmlands and destroyed homes, killing more than 1,000 people in South Asia since the monsoon rains began in June.

Most deaths in Uttar Pradesh, home to 170 million people, were caused by house collapses in villages.

Crops were destroyed as rising river water broke through embankments and flooded vast areas of farmland.

At least 1.6 million people were affected by this year's floods, with thousands living in temporary shelters set up by the government, officials said.

In the eastern state of Bihar, authorities struggled to bring aid to nearly two million people marooned in remote villages.

"We had made safety arrangements in areas more prone to flooding, but floods hit other places," said P.N. Roy, a senior government official in charge of disaster relief management.

Authorities evacuated hundreds of people to higher ground on Monday, as flood water swamped more villages in the state.

India's annual monsoon hits on June 1 and retreats in September. It is vital for the irrigation of farmland and promoting economic growth in a nation heavily reliant on agriculture.

But it leaves in its wake massive destruction, killing hundreds of people, destroying homes, crops, roads and bridges every year. (Writing by Bappa Majumdar; Editing by Giles Elgood)

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