The mummy of Sangha Tenzin in Gue village of Spiti Valley

High in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul & Spiti district lies a surprising secret. A 500 year-old mummy with its teeth intact. Located in the village of Gue, it is said to be the mummy of a Buddhist monk named Sangha Tenzin, and is one of the most astonishing things you will ever see.
The village of Gue is your typical village in Lahaul & Spiti, with rugged mountains, and picturesque views. After a brief stay in this part of India, spectacular sunsets and sunrises become the norm, but never tires you. As you know that someday you will have to return to the plains, back to your regular lives. But before you decide to leave Lahaul & Spiti, there is this mummy of Sangha Tenzin that you must see for yourself. There is nothing quite like it.

The mummified body of the monk was found after an earthquake in 1975 opened an old tomb. It was excavated much later in 2004, and has been a point of interest for archaeologists, and curious travellers ever since.
The mummification of this monk is starkly different from those of Egypt. It is said to be the result of a natural self-mummification process called Sokushinbutsu, which strips the body away from its fats and fluids. It is attributed to Buddhist monks in Japan’s Yamagata. You would be fascinated to know that the process could take upto ten years.

The monks go into slow starvation, with a diet of poisonous nuts, roots, herbs, and tree sap. Seated in a meditating posture, the monks die without any moisture in the body, but having all essentials preserved.

The mummy of Sangha Tenzin is seated in a temple today, with his mouth open, his teeth visible, and hollow eyes. Stripped of fat, and moisture, it symbolises the Living Buddha.