Cave Burials in Nepal

I found a cool article in National Geographic from October 2012 about Sky Cave burials in the Kingdom of Mustang in Nepal. Some of these burials are located approximately 155 feet above a valley floor on a sheer rock face. These series of caves are empty and estimated to be around 800 years old. One that stood out was Tomb 5 in the  Samdzong region near the Plateau of Tibet. It contained skeletal remains of one individual wearing a funerary mask placed in a painted coffin box along with a  bronze mirror and iron daggers, copper vessel, iron tripod, wood and bamboo cups. There was a child skeleton laid out on the floor next to 3 horse and 2 goat sacrificed skulls information about the child is not known. This burial is the remaining one of 3 that collapsed with Tomb 5 the only surviving tomb. The remains are thought to be of those of a high ranking local leader from around 1300-1800 years ago. The funerary box/coffin was very well constructed as one of the author's Eng points out " Like IKEA before IKEA."

Interestingly in the Kingdom of Mustang in Nepal in 1995 an infant and "adult female foot" were among 30 naturally occurring mummies  found. These were located in a cliff cave burial and discovered by a German and Nepalese team of archaeologist. These burials are approximately 2000 years old and I have difficulty with the statement of a " female foot" just on the assumption that the foot was placed in the same area as the infant.

These burials are very interesting in the fact that some 2000 years ago people had to get these remains and all the funerary grave goods up these cliffs after having to dug them out of the cliff face. How they did that back then without all the crazy climbing equipment that is available today is beyond me.