This programme contains graphic descriptions of body mutilation.
In the Nepalese Himalaya, one of the world’s rarest and most spiritually profound funeral rites is still practiced: the Sky Burial. In some circumstances when a person dies, their body is offered to wild vultures. According to local Bon and Tibetan Buddhist customs, this burial is reserved only for those whose karma is deemed pure and whose astrological signs align with sacred guidance. The ritual represents the highest form of cremation, allowing the soul to ascend freely to the heavens.
As modern roads, infrastructure and agricultural innovations reach these remote valleys, they bring improved connectivity, healthcare and economic opportunity - but they also create challenges for monastics and Sky Burial practitioners too. In this episode, we follow Tashi Bista as he returns to the landscape of his childhood to meet the guardians of this symbolic ceremony as they negotiate an ever-changing world.
Presenter: Tashi Bista
Producer: Hunter Charlton
Executive Producer: Ant Adeane
Image: Monk sitting in the Nyenyol valley of Upper Mustang
(Credit: Tashi Bista)
In the Nepalese Himalaya, one of the world’s rarest and most spiritually profound funeral rites is still practiced: the Sky Burial. In some circumstances when a person dies, their body is offered to wild vultures. According to local Bon and Tibetan Buddhist customs, this burial is reserved only for those whose karma is deemed pure and whose astrological signs align with sacred guidance. The ritual represents the highest form of cremation, allowing the soul to ascend freely to the heavens.
As modern roads, infrastructure and agricultural innovations reach these remote valleys, they bring improved connectivity, healthcare and economic opportunity - but they also create challenges for monastics and Sky Burial practitioners too. In this episode, we follow Tashi Bista as he returns to the landscape of his childhood to meet the guardians of this symbolic ceremony as they negotiate an ever-changing world.
Presenter: Tashi Bista
Producer: Hunter Charlton
Executive Producer: Ant Adeane
Image: Monk sitting in the Nyenyol valley of Upper Mustang
(Credit: Tashi Bista)