Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-06-13
THE TOWERS OF SILENCE.
a Visit to the Famous Burial Ground
of the Parsees in Calcutta.

How many people, wonder, who
have visited the fair city of Bombay
have thought of inspecting this famous
Parsee burial grounds Few indeed
have done so if report be correct, but
those few, am sure, have been amply
repaid by the sight of these wonderful
and awe inspiring towers. In no ceme-
terry, in no burning ghaut, have l ever
felt the sensation / experienced on
visiting this strange place. Words fail
to express the awe and dread that seized
me as / stood in the lovely grounds
amid the waving palms and sweet
scented tropical plants, out OF which
arise, bold and defiant, the white, circu-
lar walk of the Towers of Silence,
some of which date back more than a
century.
In few words, however, / will try to
describe my visit to this burial ground.
/ arrived in Bombay with my friend
Lord Tenterden. Being informed that
q pass was necessary to allow strangers
to visit these memorial towers, at once
applied for pass, and after little de-
lay received q card emitting us to visit
the grounds after four p. m. From
what we gathered, the funeral rites were
performed between the hours of ten and
four p. m, during which time no
stranger is allowed in the grounds.
After a pretty and a somewhat long
drive our carriage drew up before a
large iron gateway, and, descending, we
entered the grounds, which are prettily
and artistically arranged ON a steep
slope. From the gateway nothing is
visible to lead any one to suppose other
wise than that the place was well-kept
pretty garden, but following the path
way up several small 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 vultures awaiting their prey.
AT the top of the steps You are met by
an aged Parsee, the keeper of the place,
who acts as your guide and points out
the chief objects of interest. First of
all You are taken 10 a spot where you
enter your name in the visitors book,
and are shown list of all the person
ages 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 APP
proach the real towers nearer than a
distance of thirty or forty feet.
From the model you see that the in
terror formation of the towers is most
curious. Running around the entire
length of the well is large iron grid,
which extends with a gentle slope until
it nearly meets in the centre of the
towers. This grid is divided into three |
parts or layers. The largest, next to |
the wall of the towers. is for the recep- |
ton of mems bodies; the next layer, of /
smaller circumference, is that for the 1
women's bodies, and the third layer, 4
next to the centre of the tower, of still /
smaller circumference, is for the bodies /
Of children. In the centre is a large,
deep well of water, mixed with chemi-
calls, to kill any impurity that might
arise from the ineessant flow of blood,
and for the destruction of osseous mat
ter.
There is narrow pathway on the
grids 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 vul-
lures which are gathered round about
each of the towers OF in the trees of the
ground swoop ON their prey. In less
than five minutes the corps is bereft of
every particle of flesh, and only the bare
skeleton remains. The vultures again
relapse into repose, standing on the
tower walls basking in the sunlight, or
seeking cool and shade in the deep
foliage of the trees. Not a sound
breaks the silence, your own voices,
hushed, as it were, out Of respect for the
dead, alone are audible, and the palm
trees creaking in the breeze is all that
breaks the stiffness and peace. Slowly
we retrace our steps to the spot where
we first met our guide; here he presents
us with a nosegay of flowers gathered
from the grounds, and with low
salaam leaves us to descend the steps
alone. As we drive away We look back
and catch a glimpse of the white walls;
a huge vulture rising slowly with few
flaps of his wings, sails majestically
from one tower to another. A shudder
passes over us as We turn our heads
toward the city of Bombay, which is
oathed in golden sunset.