BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts.

This program contents descriptions of body mutilation.

What you are hearing are the funeral prayers of monks sitting in the home of my deceased cousin

here in Nepal. Friends and family members have traveled far and wide to mourn my relative

and be together one last time before the soul leaves his body and enters the next realm.

I have come to the upper reaches of Mustang, roughly an hour's drive from where I grew up,

to witness a funeral called Sky Burial. In local culture, this practice is believed to be the highest

form of cremation. After a death, monks seek astrological guidance and determine the deceased's karma. If the deceased has led a good

life and the stars are correctly aligned, the body is offered as food to wild vultures so that

their soul may enter the realm of heaven. My name is Dashashi Bista.

Before I became a filmmaker and conservationist,

I was brought up in a culture which has remained relatively unchanged for centuries.

I've seen firsthand how our local belief system,

a mix of Bonn and Tibetan Buddhism,

has shaped the landscape and ecosystem of this area.

I'm taking you to the remote valleys of Mustang, Nepal, to follow local monks and morticians

as they undertake one of the world's most unique burial ceremonies.

This is Eternal Horizons for Heart and Soul on the BBC World Service.

It is Monday afternoon and I am set in Kathmandu Airport's departure lounge.

I'm about to take a flight and then drive through the night to a village,

where if I'm lucky, I hope to arrive in time for the sky burial.

Two days ago, I learned that an elder relative of mine had passed away.

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