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Wooden coffins hanging on the rocks – a terrible sight. Not for the faint of heart. Nevertheless, this is exactly the way of burial from ancient times, was adopted by the Chinese people bo. AIR BO Cemeteries High in the mountains, among the rocks, on wooden coffins hang on wedges – the only reminder of mysterious and almost extinct people living in the southwestern part modern China. Bo always remained an ethnic minority this populous country. But, despite this, they were able to create bright distinctive culture that would develop further if not a bloody war with the Ming Dynasty. Four hundred years ago, people Bo was almost wiped off the face of the earth. No left cultural monuments, with the exception of strange air graves, about the nature of which scientists still argue. It is worth noting that in China is especially kind to funeral traditions and generally to everything connected with the dead. Most of the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom according to ancient tradition, they still bury their dead on the slopes hills facing human habitation. It is believed that this brings good luck to posterity. From this point of view, coffins hanging on rocks, – not only a mystery, but also sacrilege. What made people stick to such a strange tradition? And how they raised on rocks 100-200 meters high a coffin weighing up to 200 kilograms? There are legends that people knew how to fly and the air element was subject to them. Therefore, they buried their dead so high. But all this is speculation. Scientists have noticed that most burials found in gorges where mountain rivers run, they hypothesized: people were waiting for spring floods, and the rising water helped they conduct “high-altitude work.” But there is another version, according to which climbers drove wooden wedges into the rock and climbed on them like on an improvised staircase. Probability of this assumptions confirm holes found in the bases some rocks. And more recently, in the archives of one of the libraries, located in southern China, researchers found a description of another a very plausible way of lifting a coffin onto a rock – using ropes. But if the question is “how?” scientists at least found the answer then the question is “why?” still open. According to some experts, who believed that the soul of the deceased falls into heaven, the coffins were hoisted as high as possible in order to make it easier for the soul upstairs. Others see the reason for such a strange burial altogether not in the religious views of this people. Bo hung coffins on rocks so that enemies could not defile the bodies of the dead. A very viable version, given the fact that up to many кладбищ никто не добрался и по this day. .. 
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Coffin as a cultural monument Coffin manufacturing technology was simple and unpretentious. They were squeezed out rather roughly from solid wood species. It is strange that many of the sarcophagi survived until of our days, because about the paint that protects the tree from destruction, more never heard of. By the way, modern scientists have found that the most “fresh” coffins were installed on the cliffs along the Yangtze River in total 400 years ago. The age of the oldest is about a thousand years. Well, the most ancient coffin is 2.5 thousand years old! Rock today Bo coffins are cultural monuments. Therefore, the Chinese authorities constantly make sure that they remain intact and safety. Restoration work has already been carried out three times – in 1974, 1985 and 2002. These works, among other things, helped Researchers to “reduce debit with credit.” It turned out that for the last ten years, 20 coffins fell into the water. But in the thicket restorers found 16 trees growing on one of the rocks previously unknown burials. So today cave rock Bo cemeteries have 290 “exhibits”.
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STAIRS IN HEAVEN But if you think so gloomy exotic is characteristic only for China, then you are mistaken. Hanging there are cemeteries in some other Asian countries, for example in Indonesia and the Philippines – in the province of Sagada. Filipinos before than to put a dead man in a coffin, they fumigated his body with special mixtures so that it is less degradable. Eventually it was something like a mummy. She was laid in improvised coffin, the function of which was performed hollow inside a tree trunk, and placed in a narrow “single” cave or hung on a rock. In fairness, it should be noted that scientists managed to discover caves filled to the brim with coffins. This made them think that they were buried in such “dormitories” mere mortals. And the “single apartments” were intended for people from high society. Experts have determined that age the oldest Sagadan burial is about 2,000 years, and the youngest – 15 years. Yes, yes, the custom of hanging coffins on Rocks existed here until the 90s of the XX century. Only in recently, the Filipinos began to bury their dead in the ground. But the locals yearn for the old days when the soul of the departed was closer to heaven, and the dust was reliably protected from floods, so frequent in Sagada. ROCK FOR EVERYONE IS NOT ENOUGH … What is Tana Toraja? The region in Sulawesi is Indonesia’s third largest island. A He is known for his unique funeral rites. Many centuries back the locals, sending their dead on their last journey, built for them carved coffins-sarcophagi in the form of boats and animals, put there those things that the deceased used during his life, and left coffins at the foot of the rocks. But over time, the graves began to rob descendants indifferent to the past and traditions, and the rite complicated. The bodies of the dead were placed high in the mountains – in caves or in specially hollowed out niches. And sometimes they were hung on rocks, almost like the Chinese did. It seems unbelievable but in such a strange way the islanders bury their dead and сей день. The body of a poor fellow who died outside Tana Toraja, relatives, like hundreds of years ago, are trying to deliver homeland. The only difference is that before each the village had its steep mountain for burial. And today, because lack of free cliffs and cliffs locals use common cemeteries. Life rises in price, rises in price and death. Separate rocks at all not enough … Max OIL
Water Life Time China Caves Sarcophagi
