Haven’t we all heard stories about ‘Mummy’ in Egypt or have seen movies that revolved around it? How much as kids have we wished to see it even though being super scared. Well how about seeing it in reality without having to travel to Egypt. It is in India itself. No we aren’t joking. Gue, a tiny sleepy hamlet in the Spiti region of the Himachal Pradesh is home to a 500 year old mummy with its teeth intact.
Mummy Of A Buddhist Monk In Gue
The village of Gue in Himachal Pradesh is a beautiful tiny hamlet that offers the most picturesque views. The place is just a few kms away from the LOC, Indo-China Line of Actual Control. These days the village is in a lot of talks as it holds a secret in its heart. The village is home to a 500 year old mummy and is the country’s only known naturally preserved mummy. The mummy is said to be of a Buddhist Monk, Sangha Tenzin who is believed to have died in the 1500s. An earthquake in 1975 opened a tomb and this mummified body of the monk was found. The mummy is in a temple with teeth intact and hollow eyes symbolizing the living Buddha.
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Natural Self Mummification Process
The mummification process of this mummy is very much different than that of the mummification in Egypt. The mummification of this monk was the result of a natural self mummification process which is known as ‘Sokushinbutsu’ where the monks enter mummification while alive. This process strips the body of a monk away from all the fats and fluids. This process was something that was believed to be started by the Buddhist monks in Japan’s Yamagata. The monks go into slow starvation with a diet of nuts, herbs and tree saps that are poisonous. Having all the essentials preserved, the monks sit in a meditating posture and die without any moisture in the body.
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