Hanging coffins


Hanging coffins are coffins which have been placed on cliffs. They can be found in various locations, including China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. In China, they are known in Mandarin as xuanguan which also means "hanging coffin".

China

Hanging coffins are an ancient funeral custom of some ethnic groups, especially the Bo people of southern China. Coffins of various shapes were mostly carved from one whole piece of wood. Hanging coffins either lie on beams projecting outward from vertical faces such as mountains, are placed in caves in the face of cliffs, or sit on natural rock projections on mountain faces.
According to Chinaculture.org it was said that the hanging coffins could prevent bodies from being taken by beasts and also bless the soul eternally. Spiritually, the Bo people viewed the mountain cliffs as a stairway to heaven and believed that by placing the coffins up high the deceased would be closer to heaven. A practical reason for placing the coffins on cliffs includes isolation, so that they are hard for animals to reach and less vulnerable to destruction.
Locations of hanging coffins include:
, Wenshan prefecture, Yunnan province, China.

Philippines

Hanging coffins can be found in Sagada, Mountain Province, Luzon Island.

Indonesia

Hanging coffins and funeral effigies of the Sa'dan Toraja people of upland Sulawesi are found in Londa Nanggala cave.

China