The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1878-05-30
ThN pnrNeeS.

I
namc) and settled in India nearly 200
years ago; Bombay is their chief abid-
ing place at prcscut, and ann told that
they number nearly 90. 900 in this city
alone. Some of them posHess enormous
wealth. and savcral houses, among the
finest IN bombay, have been pointed out
81 me as the property and homes OF Psr-
secs. Generally they are liberal with
their money. So far as public bencyo-
lenoo gocs, but they are 10y no means
the prey of rect-bcggarH or Of any
other person who would impose ON them.
Hospitals. fountains, gardens, schools,
aud the like owe their origin 10 ParHeea,
and somo uf their names have become
houored out Of India as well as IN IL. The
Parsocs are worshipcrs If fire as the
symbol of divinity, and when they came
from Persia they brought the sacred
embers with them and keep the fires
burning perpetually on their affairs, Fire
being sacred, they naturally worship the
sun rs the great representative Of divine
power. but the supposinon that they
worship the sun aA that power IL lncor-
rect. They will not use fire for any ig
noble purpose, and consequently II is
not polite 60 offer cigar 20 Parsee;
they 10 not take offense II stranger
smokes IN their presence, but any gentle
man who lives here and understands
them wuuld quietly remove his Cigar
from his mouth while conyeTsing with IA
Parsee Of has acquaintance. They neither
burn nor bury their bed; their corpses
are exposed where they can be eaten 10y
the birds and their bones are swept into
deep pit where they remain until des.
troyed by the action OF tho elements
On one Of the highest hills 81 Bombay
are the so-called Towers of Silence, u
where the bodies are thus exposed; the
name is "a free translation of the Persian
one, which literally rendered into English
means nothing moro nor less than
"tomb." Strangers are rarely admitted
TO the inclosure. and no Parsee except
the few employed about the place may
enter the towers Through the kindness
Of Mr.. Cana, "A wealthy and prominent
parsee, was enabled 10 see the towers
and had the advantage of his personal
guidance and explanation.
We entered by strong gateway and
over paved path, which is the route OF
the funeral professions. The inclosurt
has high wall, over which II is impOs
sible 10 look without scaling ladder
. The yard is perhaps two acres III extent,
and contains near the entrance build
ing, where is an altar with the sacreC
+ fire and a temple where funeral partie,
come 10 pray and the priests 10 chang,
their apparel after the services Ere over
There IN neatly-kept garden here,
which is tended 10y the employees Of tht
t place, aud from the Windows Of th,
temple there is a fine view of the city,
/ the bay, and the surrounding country
The other structures in the inclosur,
are the famous towers, nine in all, sim
pie circular structures Of plAstered ma
soury about twelve feet high and perhap,
thirty in diameter. In the side Of each
is "A double door OF iron, where the bear
ers enter with the bodies OF the dead
in this door no visitor, whether Chris
tian, Hlndoo, or Parsee may enter oi
even look, save, as before stated, the
priests and attendants. We were not
allowed 10 go nearer than within twenty
yards Of the towers, and Mr.. CANA eI
planned that the prohibition extended Z
him as we'll as 10 rs, and should he vio
late il he would he compelled 10 purif!
himself by careful ablutious and chang,
Of apparel This Ieasure was adopted
he said, topreyent the spread VI disease
and SO great is the precaution that tht
priests and bearers must perform then
ablutiun and change after each funcra.
ceremony.
As We approached the towers then
uses were pointed out One was toI
murderers and suicides, aud was con
sidered uncousecrted; the rest yer,
alike, or SO nearly SO that the differences
were not essential. On the tops 81
two or three towers. the ones most II
use, vultures we're roosting aud evident
ly waiting eagerly for the arrival OF 8
procession. There were. perhaps, hfty
; or more--I did not count them and Mr.
Cana said there were others that wer,
so fat and heavy as Ia be unable 10 hy a.
all, 50 that they remained constant,
within the towers. When n body il
brought there is a stir among the birds
and frequently they attack the bearer
in their eageruess TO get at corpse. ~
violent are they at times that the bear
ers are armed with sticks, and use then
vigorously. An hour after a body hai
been placed on the iron grating, and th,
bearers have retired and closed tie door
nothing but bones remains, and th,
birds resume their places 20 wait for IN,
next arrival. The funerals generally
take rlara in the f,prripts inst after stff,
rise, or in the afternoon before sunset
never ut night, and rarely IN the miidl,
of the day.