 After the dissolution of the Kingdom of Madagascar, the French colonial authorities shifted the location of these tombs thereby disrupting the original cosmological symbolism of their arrangement.When the original tombs were excavated for relocation, the French found the mortal remains of the nobles within had each been wrapped in numerous traditional "lambas" (woven silk cloths) then set within wooden coffins packed with charcoal.Bodies buried at Ambohimanga were found to have been entombed in the same way.