Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-06-07
The Tow ers of Silence.


How many people, 1 wonder, who have
visited the fair oIty of Bombay have
thought of inspecting this famous Parsee
burial groundS Few, indeed, have dor @
SO if report be correct, but those few, [
| am sure, have been amply repaid by the
sight of these wonderful and awe-inspi
ing towers. In no cemetery, in no burn
| ing ghaut, nave L ever felt the sensation
L experienced on visiting this strange
place. Words fail to express the awe ar d
dread that seized me as | stood in the
.ovely grounds amid the waving palms
and sweet scented tropical plants out of
which arise, cold and defiant, the white,
circular walls of the Towers of Silence,
| some of which date back more than a
| century.
In a few words, however, will try to
describe my visit to the burial ground. l
arrived in Bombay with my friend Lord
renterden. Being informed that pass
was necessary to allow strangers to visit
these memorable towers, l at once ap-
piled for pass, and after a little delay
received card eutitling US to visit the
grounds after p. N. From what we
gathered the funeral rites are performed
between the hours OF 10 a. m. aud D.
NJ, during which no stranger is allowed
| in the grounds. After pretty and
somewhat long drive our carriage drew
up before large iron gateway, and de.
scending We entered the grounds, which
are prettily and arts ically arranged on
a steep slope. From the gateway moth
ing is visible to lead any one to suppose
otherwise than that the place was we'll
kept, pretty garden, but following the
pathway up several flights of stone steps
you find yourself on an eminence quite
close to the white walled towers, on which
are perched dozens of bald headed vul-
lures awaiting for their prey.
At the top of the steps you are met by
an aged Parse, the keeper of the place,
who acts as your guide aud points out the
chief objec's of interest. First of all
you are taken to a spot where you enter
your pane in the visitors book, and are
shown a list of all the personages of royal
and noble blood who have visited the
spot. Then you are shown little model
of the Towers of Silence, as of course
you are not allowed to approach the real
towers nearer than distance of thirty
or forty feet.
From she model you see that the inter
Tor formation of the towers is most cur
ious. Running round the whole length of
the wall, is large iron grid, which e1-
tends with gentle slop till it u early meets
in the center of the tower. The grid is
divided into three parts or layers. The
largest, next to the wall of the towers, is
for the receipt on of mems bodies; the
next layer of smaller circumference, is
hat for the woman's bodies, and the
third layer, next to the center of the tow
er, of still smaller circumference, is for
the bodies of children. In the center Is
alarge deep we'll of water, mixed which
chemicals, to kill any impurity that may
arise from the Incessant flow of blood
and for the destruction of osseous mat
ter.
There Is narrow pathway OF the girds
leading to each layer TO allow the carriers
TO place the bodies of the dead in their
last resting place. Once the body is
laid down the thousands of vult1res which
are gathered round about each of the
towers Or in the trees of the ground
swoop on their prey. In less than five
minutes the corpse is bereft of every
particle of flesh, and only the bare skele-
ton remains. The vuItures again relapse
into repose, standing on the tower walls
bssking in the sunlight or seeking cool
and shade 10 the deep foliage of the trees.
Not sound breaks. the silence; your own
voices hushed, as il we're, out of respect
for the dead, alone are audible, and the
palm trees creaking IL the b-eezs IL all
that breaks the stiffness and peace.
Slowly We retrece our steps 20 the spot
where we first met our guide; here he pre-
sents Us with rosegay OF flowers gather
ed from the grounds, and With Low
salaam leaves rs to descend the steps
alone. As We drive Of We look back and
catch glimpse of the white walls; huge
vulture rising slowly With few flaps of
his wigs sails majestically from one
tower to another. A shudder passes over
Us rs We turn our heads toward the city
of Bombay, which Is bathed In golden
suueef