A dead monk that never rots

Thursday, October 15, 2009


He died in 1927 and this picture was taken in 2002. He was never embalmed or mummified.
Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov (Russian: Даши-Доржо Итигэлов) (1852–1927) was a Buryat Buddhist lama of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, best known for the lifelike state of his body, which is not subject to decay.

Itigilov left a testament asking to be buried as he was at the time of his death, sitting in lotus posture. According to his wishes, his body was put into a pine box and interred at a bumkhan (a graveyard for the lama burials) in the locality of Khukhe-Zurkhen (Dark-blue Heart in Buryat language). One of the testament clauses stipulated that his body should be exhumed by other monks within several years. This clause is interpreted by enthusiasts to demonstrate Itigilov's precognisance of his body's incorruptibility.
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3 comentarii:

Anonymous said...

it's common for budhist monks. It's not the only one. In part is from the lack of food before death during trance states. The body is free of bacteria, and all the guts don't start the decay process. He just drys up.

Anonymous said...

there are plenty of other ways that bacteria can enter a body. And lack of food does not mean there would have been a lack of bacteria.

Anonymous said...

Look into it, he was buried in salt.

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