| Luang Pho Daeng Human Mummy | |
| |
| Biographical Information | |
|---|---|
| Name(s) | Luang Pho Daeng |
| Age | 79 at death |
| Sex | Male |
| Status | Buddhist Monk |
| Height | |
| Source | |
| Culture | Thai (Theravada of Buddhist) |
| Date(s) | Born: 1894, Died: 1973 |
| Site | Wat Khunaram |
| Current Location | |
| Location | Koh Samui |
| Catalog # | |
Luang Pho Daeng (also Loung Por Daeng and Loung Pordaeng) was a Thai Buddhist monk who died while meditating in 1973.[1][2] His mummified body is on display at the Wat Khunaram on Ko Samui island in Thailand's Surat Thani Province.
Mummification[]
Some Mahayana Buddhist monks left instructions to be followed after their deaths, which often included having them buried sitting in a lotus posture, put into a vessel with drying agents (such as coal, wood, paper, or lime) and surrounded by bricks, to be exhumed later, usually after three years. The preserved bodies would then be decorated with paint and adorned with gold. Some covered the bodies with clay or salt.
Studies[]
Radiographs of the mummy have revealed that his dentures are still in place. His brain tissue and organ systems are remarkably intact, although small in size due to dehydration.
Additional[]
Buddhist mummies, also called flesh body Bodhisattva, full body sariras, or living Buddhas (Sokushinbutsu) refer to the bodies of Buddhist monks and nuns that remain in-corrupt, without any traces of deliberate mummification. These are venerated by some Buddhists who believe they successfully were able to mortify their flesh to death.[1]The practice to purposely make non-decomposed bodies is seen as controversial and contradictory to the Buddhist belief in impermanence. Many were destroyed or lost in history.[2] Hungarian Natural History Museum recently found a Buddhist mummy inside a statue of Buddha.[3]
Locals visiting the temple pay their respects to the venerable monk’s remains. This temple is located at Mu 4, Ban Choeng Khao, Tambon Paluka Samo, approximately 13 kilometers from the district office on the way to Pattani.
Monks at the temple put sunglasses over the mummy’s sunken, empty sockets in order to make him less disturbing to visiting children and others who come to pay their respects.