You may also be thinking of “Sky Burials” as was and is still practiced by some Tibetans and in some regions of Mongolia, Bhutan, Nepal and parts of far Northern India among those who practice Vajrayana Buddhism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_burial
I am not sure if the similar Zoroastrian practice which seems to predate it, influenced the Buddhists or not.
It is believed that the practice of Sky Burials in Tibet, especially in the high mountainous regions, areas above the tree line, may have developed because the hard rocky terrain, the permafrost along with the lack of timber, made in ground burials or cremation impracticable.
Also in most traditional forms of Buddhism, there is no need to preserve the body, as they believe that the physical life, the physical body is impermanent and that after death it is now believed to be just an empty vessel, and that allowing the body to decompose naturally or to be give up to carrion is considered an act of generosity on the part of the deceased, since the deceased and his/her surviving relatives are providing food to sustain other living beings. That is not to say that they don’t pray for the dead or intend disrespect.
Interestingly I found this video that shows how some modern Chinese and other tourists who travel to Tibet, gawk, film and laugh and make fun of and show complete disrespect for the ritual as if their (the Tibetan’s) burial rituals are some sort of side show.
Sky Burials: Tradition Becomes Controversial Tourist Attraction
That’s really interesting to know.
” and that allowing the body to decompose naturally or to be give up to carrion is considered an act of generosity on the part of the deceased, since the deceased and his/her surviving relatives are providing food to sustain other living beings.”
The above is fairly consistent with the old Zoroastrian belief in using Towers of Silence for scavenging birds and also exposure to the sun. But the bones are thereafter put in a coffin. When you think about it, scuttle or coffin flies, etc.. will eventually and gradually eat away the flesh too even after in ground burial.
The main consideration for Zoroastrians was “pollution laws”, and the belief that one should take care not to pollute the 4 natural elements. If you ever visit a Zoroastrian cemetery in Yazd province of Iran for example, you’ll see the typical marble coffins are actually above ground.
Cremation is relatively a new practice, maybe last 100 yrs. And, there is still a lot of debate around it with Zoroastrians in India as they tend to be much more traditional.
Freddie Mercury was in fact cremated.