The Wide, Strange World of Modern Mummification
The Wide, Strange World of Modern Mummification It’s not just Egypt that has embraced the practice. MUMMIFICATION IS, OBVIOUSLY, MOST CLOSELY linked with ancient Egypt, but it is a varied and culturally broad burial trend. Here are some examples of its more modern manifestations—from self-mummification, a brutal practice that only came to light in Japan in the 1960s, to more traditional embalming. Fair warning: The images below might be disturbing to some readers. We are, after all, talking about preserving human bodies. Feeling his death approaching, Buddhist monk Luang Pho Dang instructed his followers that should his body decay, he wished to be cremated. Otherwise, he wished to remain on display in hopes of inspiring others to follow the Buddhist way of life. Luckily for us, the latter proved to be his destiny. Like other noteworthy modern mummies, Luang Pho Dang died mid-meditation. Since that time his body has been displayed in a glass viewing platform within the Kunaram Templ