A village where loved ones are raised from the grave!

The Dhaka Times Desk Every now and then something really surprises us. Now a village has been found where loved ones are raised from graves!

Regardless of the financial hardship, there should be no mistake in the funeral of a loved one. After a few weeks of death, the body was removed from the grave and his funeral was done! Not once again, this is done every three years! Maybe you are surprised to hear that! But in reality there is a village where exactly that happens.

A similar social custom has been observed for centuries among the Torajan tribe living in an isolated village in the mountains of Sulawesi, Indonesia. This centuries old custom of the Torajan tribe is called 'Manin'.

It is often heard that the people of the Torajan tribe believe that death is not the end of life. Because according to them, death is actually only a stage of entry into spiritual life. Moreover, they believe that after death, the soul of their loved one returns home again. So every 3 years the bodies are taken out from the graves to see what condition the bodies are in. In addition, the coffins are repaired!

According to this ancient custom of the Torajan tribe, every 3 years, the bodies of loved ones are picked up from the graves, arranged and wrapped, and brought back home on a ritual walk. Old dirty clothes are changed from the bodies and new clothes are put on. The people of the Torajan tribe observe this custom with great reverence, spending as much as they can afford. Its preparation has been going on little by little for 3 years.

However, after 1979, the light of civilization reached this village in Sulawesi by the hands of Dutch missionaries. The introduction to the outside world is among the people of the Torajan tribe. But still the custom of 'Manin' is being celebrated here.