Areial burial

Aerial burial (also called sky burial) is a funerary practice where the body of the deceased is left exposed to the open air, usually on a mountaintop or high platform, so that natural elements—particularly birds of prey like vultures—consume it.

Cultural Background

Tibetan Buddhism: The practice is most famously associated with Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism, where it reflects the belief in impermanence and the idea that the physical body is only a temporary vessel.

Offering it to birds is seen as both an act of generosity and a way to sustain other life.

Zoroastrianism (Towers of Silence): In ancient Persia and among Parsi communities in India, a similar tradition involves placing bodies in circular stone structures (dakhma or “towers of silence”) to be consumed by vultures, ensuring that earth, fire, and water—considered sacred—are not polluted.

Other Cultures: Variations have also existed among some Mongolian, Native American, and ancient Central Asian steppe cultures.

Symbolism

Impermanence of the body: The body is not seen as essential once the soul has departed.

Generosity & interconnectedness: Feeding birds of prey transforms death into an act of giving.

Avoiding pollution: In Zoroastrianism, it prevents contamination of the natural elements.

Modern Status

Still practiced in Tibet and parts of Mongolia, though modernization, ecological changes (like vulture decline), and legal restrictions have reduced its prevalence.

Zoroastrian aerial burials in India have declined because of drastic vulture population loss, leading some communities to adopt solar concentrators or cremation instead.

티베트식 천장(天葬), 조로아스터교의 다흐마(塔), 그리고 고대 중앙아시아 유목민 풍습

#동방박사

#유황

#몰약

#Zoroastrian