St. Paul daily globe., 1891-05-18
IN PARKWAY india.
The Many Interesting Things
Seen by a Couple of st.
Paul Boys.
Points Upon the Wonderful
Towers of Silence to Be
Seen at Bombay.
Disrobing Corpses for a Grim
and CHASTITY Eastern
Burial.
A Study OF Ancient Mosques,
TnY,r,Inc ond Tayohc NJ
A Study OF Ancient Mosques,
Temples and Tombs at
Ahmedabad.

steamers through the Arabian sea,
around Cape Comorin, the southern
most point of India, and along the NAL
abar coast, we found ourselves sur
rounded by many strange looking crafts
from different parts of the world, and
soon discovered that we were anchored
in Bombay harbor. The fussy little
launch came along side, and after a
good deal of unnecessary noise and con-
fusiOn,we, with our numerous boxes and
bags, were transferred to the dock where
we were turned over to the tender mercies
of the customs officer. We passed the
customs after paying 10 per cent duty on
the appraised value of our revolvers,
but without even answering the time
hOnOred query as to the amount of to-
bacc0 or whisky we had in our posses
sion. When we arrived at Watson's, the
principal hostelry of the city, the lau-
guild young English clerk blinded us
with his koorhinOr and surprised US
with the information that he had "only
standing room left" In other words,
his house was full, and we soon discoY-
cred that all other hotels in the city
were in the same plethoric. We had.
unfortunately, arrived at the season
when the Englishmen of India were
making their
Annual Exodus sSHome.s'
which accounted for the dreadfully
crowded condition of the hotels. How
ever, we were made fairly comfortable
on the verandah, where other late ar
rivals were sleeping, and were fur
niShed with a punkah wallah, who
famed US all night and succeeded in
keeping the mosquitoes in action. We
found Bombay wonderfully prosper
GUS city and regular Chicago for activ-
ity and business enterprise, and were
surprised to learn that, according to a
census just completed, it has nearly one
million Inhabitants. And whilst very
modern In sections, the city is thor
oughly typical of India; splendid and
Imposing arcnltecturally, commanding
fine view of sea and land; full of vari-
GUS types of oriental life and character;
alive with the affairs OF government, COM
merce, pleasure and religion. A per-
feet tide of seething humanity ebbs and
flows through the baZaarS, market places
and chief thoroughfares. Nowhere
could be seen livelier play of hues, a
gayer and buster city life, OF better ex-
ample OF city's rapid rise from COM
merclal ebScurity to prominence among
the important ports and cities of the
world. Lack of space prevents me from
paying my respects i'll detail to Bonn
bays attractions, but descriptions of
two OF its institutions cannot fail to in
terest the observing traveller and reader.
FIrt and foremost among the novel show
features OF Bombay are the wonderful
Towers of Silence,
and no intelligent traveller, however
hurried, should pass them by. The
Towers of Silence are the only and Pc
cnliar burial ground of the Parsees, a
rich and powerful sect. The Parsees
follow the teachings of their founder.
Zoroaster, who 5000 years ago among
the Persian hills taught that the ele-
mentS being sacred symbols should not
be desecrated or defiled. Neither earth
nor fire nor water should serve a
ParSee after death. His body should be
disposed OF high in the air, so that in
receiving its strange burial the air as
well as living men should escape its
pollution and not be contaminated by
its dissolution. The same custom exists
to-day which was practiced at that early
period which consists in placing the
bodies on high towers and leaving them
for the birds of the air to devour. When
we arrived in sight of these five round
white towers situated in grove of
trees, and separated from us by a walls
commotlOn was noticed among the
numerous vultures which in infest the
place and who play such an important
part in this burial drama. On drawing
nearer we were politely requested to
stop for moments as two bodies were
being carried through the adjoining
entrance on their way to feed the
hungry birds. The halt was called to
allow the needed time for dlsrobing
the corpses previous to consigning them
TO their
Grim and GfaasGiy Burial.
The vultures circled around in most
agitated manner, keeping close watch
ON all the proceedings. The bodies
were stripped of their burial garments,
which were thrown into pit provided
for such articles, where acids soon
destroy them, and the pall-bearers con-
tinued towards the towers, followed by
the mourners. When the procession
arrived at point about 200 feet from
the towers it halted opposite sign
board which forbids any one to trespass
further, and turned over the remains,
one at time, to the four men who have
sole control of the balance of the cere-
mony. These four attendants carried
the bodies to separate towers through
narrow dOOrwayS, and had hardly de-
posted them before the hungry
vultureS Swooped down upon them
and began devOuring the remains. The
vultureS make quick work of it,and in a
short time, being gorged with the bod
les, rose one after the other from the
interior of the towers and lazily settled
or the caves of the buildings, soon
making a stupid-looking fringe OF black
around the otherwise white structures.
There was something so fascinatingIy
uncanny about the method that we
were anxious to see the finish of such a
rapid dissolution. But neither bribes
nor entreaty would induce the authori-
ties to allow us view of the interior
arrangements of the towers, though we
were shown model of their conStruc-
ton. From the model it seems that
after the bones have been stripped of
their flesh they filter down into we'll
or pit in the center, where the rays of
The Tropical Sun
soon reduce them to dust, and thus are
the ashes of the rich and the poor, the
humble and the great mingled together
in one common receptacle. The grounds
around the towers are beautifully orna-
mented with flowers and shrubbery.
which in measure decreases the feel
ing of honor which such a scene pro-
duces.
Continuing our drive we visited fully
as an unique and novel institution in its
way as the one mentioned. l refer to
the hospital for animals. The Hindoo's
religion prevents them from killing any
animals. The members of one branch
of the church carry, this belief to such
an extent that when they walk along
the streets they wear cloths over their
mouths for fear they may swallow some
stray incpot and thpV hTUSh the halfway
in front of them that they may not tread
on one. Their love of the brute creation
has prompted them to build and main
tain this and other asylums for blind,
MANNED OF infrm animals of every de-
scription.
The idea is most humane one, and
il it were carried out practically