American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-02-26
The Towers of Silence.

JS the southwestern corner of Bombay
Island the low plain swells up rather sud
denly into hill 200 feet high, from the
top Of which the whole city, and almost
the whole island afe Visible to the north
and east, and to the west and south the
wide sea. 1t is a spot which, without Il
doubt, presents the finest view of what has
been called one of the choicest scenes of
the world, and might well, therefore, have
| been selected for the gayest villas of the
richest ihhabtant; but it is Il fact that un-
iii the Prince came to India, no European,
except it may have been by stealth, had
set foot upon it. None, certainly, were
privileged to examine this strange place,
and if any came, which may well be
doubted, at most they could but cast a
| furtive glance around them and steal away
| again. Two centuries have passed since,
| in this then most desolRie and savage
| spot, gray tower was raised, no sign of
! life or mans habitation, but an abode of
death, and SO well called the Tower of
| Silence. As time went on four other
towers were raised around the first, the
| Parsees, TO whom these towers belonged,
| grew in wealth and influence, the whole
hill became theirs, and high encircling
wall with iron gates barred access to any
but those of their own nation. Up to the
Prince of Wales visit l do not only say
that no stranger has visited the spot; |
say more, that no one ever expected to see
it. The Parsees are not proselytiZing
sect; they would not accept proselytes,
though they came to them voluntarily.
There ia a veil of mystery and mysticism
over much that the Parsees do, and they do
not love to talk to strangers about their
sacred things. Next to the strangeness
of the Princes visit itself, the strangest
thing which has happened during that
visit is the easy way in which the curtain
which has SO long been held up by the
Parseesround their tombs has been dropped
by them. .,s
The Prince wished to see the Towers of
Silence. Sir Bartle Frere wrote to the
governing body of the Parsees that the
Prince wished it, and lol it was done. 1t
may be quite true that the fire worshipers
had found that the detractors had made
use of the mystery in which they shrouded
their funeral rites to invent many cal
ufnnies against them, but still / do not
think thai desire to set themselves right
with the world would alone have induced
them to raise the veil. 1t would never
be put aside but for the Princes wish to
have 1t removed, and so, if his visit to
India should have no other result. it will
have in this brought about one ofthe most
curious changes that India has witnessed.
The thing came about so suddenly that
the Secretary of the Parsees found himself,
so he told me, standing under the wall of
tlle principal Tower of Silence, close TO
the vast stone slab on which the corpses
are deposited, explaining from a model
the interior economy of the structure to
his royal highncss and a group of his
suite before he had time to prepare his
dress or his thoughts for the occasion.
You may ascend the hill of the Towers
Of Silence by a long succession of terraces
and flights of steps from the south, or you
may drive in by a carriage road at the
northern entrance, and read as you pass
the gate the inscription, which tells you
that the costly road was made at the cx-
pense of the son of the first Baronet, Sir |
Jamshidje, in honor of his fathers men,
you proceed on foot up a long, rocky |
ascent till you come to gate with the |
warning: g None but Parsees may enter!'
But the Prince had unsealed the entrance,
and, in company with the courteous Secre- |
tary of the Parsee governing committee, | |
went in, and found a little way on my |
right stone chapel or house of prayer,
where the Parsecs who attend the funerals |
perform their devotions.
From this spot there is a most cnchant-
ing and unequahd view over Bombay, |
which every European visitor should see
if he can. While | sat here a model of a |
Tower of Silence was brought and eX-
planned to me; the same identical model |
which had interested the Prince, and the |
explanation was given by the same expos |
itor. As / listened, two cOrpses, one of |
which was that of a mohed or priest, |
were brought up the rocky ascent, each |
followed by about 100 Parsees in white |
garment. The Diers were carried by four
men, and two others followed, who alone |
are allowed to enter the towers. The |
Parsces who walked in the procession /
had their garments linked two and two,
and this had.s Mystic meaning.
q The towers are circular, and are SO well t
built that the oldest has stood for 200
years without requiring to be repaired.
They are formed of huge stone slabs, well
together, and the largest cost
e30, Goo If it may be assumed that the
TOUR other towers cost on an average f20,-
300 each, we should have a tenth of
million invested in these buildings alone
Add that Sir Jamshidje gave 100000 |
square yardsfof land and betrayed the .ex-
penscs OF a-road, and some idea may be
formed. of the cost of the whole cemetery.
In the circular external wall there is
but one aperture, about five and half
feet square and thirteen feet from the
ground and to this the carriers of the
lead ascend by flight of steps and there
AXE in the corpse. The outside wall is
from twenty-five to forty feet high, ac-
cording to the inequalities of the ground
On which the tower is built. Inside is
circular platform, depressed gradually
toward the center, where is a wall OF
about ten feet in diameter. The surface
Of the platform consists of fluted grooves
laid out in three series, with circular
paths surrounding each SERIES. to which
alton is obtained by straight
path leading from the aperture in the
outer wall to the well in the center of the
ower. This straight path intersects the
circulars paths and is about two and
half feet broad and then three feet.
The cerpses are deposited in the
grooves, those of men occupying the first
series, those OF women the second series,
md those of children the third. All the
bodies are absolutely nude, to fulfill the
aging, Naked came into the world,
md naked shall go forth;'' and in half
IN hour from the time they are put in
grooves every particle of flesh is stripped
rom the homes by the numerous vulturcs
hat inhabit the spot. The skeleton is
eft to bleach in sun and wind till it be-
zones quite dry. Two carriers of the
lead then enter with gloves on their hands
md provided with bags, with which they
larry the bones to the central we'll, where
hey are cast and crumble into dust.
There are perforations in the wall of the
we'll, through which any moisture caused
~ rain or otherwise passes and descends
INTO two drains at the bottom of the build
ng, where it passes through charcoal and
20 becomes disinfected and inodorous be-
ore ii reaches the sea. There is "a ladder
N the well by which the carriers of the
lead descend when it is necessary to clear
he DerfOratIOns from ohstrIIcfious The |