The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1897-04-29
PARsnE rowERs on slLEncp.
They serve In Place Of Durylng afouads
How Constructed.


PARsEE TOWERS OF SILENCE.
They Serve In Place Of Burylng 0Fouads
How Constructed.
The bubonio plague. which now Il
ravaglng India and has gone as far on
the way TO Europe az the island OF
Kamaran. In the Red sea. Ia attributed
by medical men TO a number Of diverse
causes. says lie Monde lllustre. In a
consideration Of possible causes and
certain propagators Of the pest the
famous towers Of silence. which might
more exactly be named towers Of death.
should not fail TO receive attention.
The towers OF which there are il5
scattered throughout India. serve de-
voices OF the Parsec cult In place OF
burying grounds. This body Of relig-
ionlsts. one OF the most curious and az
the same time one OF the most civilized
In India. Is given to the worship OF fre
in all rs forms At bombay, where
their colony numbers i7A5s pemons.
and which It Is to be noted. has suf-
fCrcd more than any other Indian city
from the pcstllcnce. the Parsees have
built seven OF these towers, one after
the other. for the inhumation. 80 TO
speak. Of their coreligonists. These
seven towers or dakmal, are grouped
NJ the summit Of Malnhar hin. which
oyorlooks the sea ~ some miles dis
lance from Bombay. Contrary 10 what
one might suppose. Malabar hill Is a
delightful suburb. well built mp with
beautiful cottages. the jewellers IN
which seem 20 live In no fear OF tho
hideous dakmHs near by In point Of
construction these towers are enormous
masses OF masonry. built 20 last for
centuries. The material b black gran
tie. heavily whitCw lshod m ir height
Is altogether out of proportion % their
diameter The highest OF them IS nine
ty feet ln diameter and thlriy-hye feet
high. a stone parapct fourteen feet
high surrounds the platform on which
the bodies are FIRST laid. Thus al that
passes within is Invisible from without.
but the tower Is open 20 sun and rain.
10 the center Of the platform Be- a well.
fifteen feet In depth and forty Ave feet
in diameter into which are cast the
bones Of the dcyoui after Che yulturca
have stripped them. From The bottom
Of this bone we'll. down through the
masonry Of the platform, run four
/ canals. az rIeht ANGLES each pair 10 the
other. Each of these ends in n pit
filled with charcoal. the Intention be-
INK thus 10 purity the leaehines from
the bone well. The platform above 10
divided into seyenty-two compart-
ments. or open burial eases. disposed
along radli Of the tower circle These
| Tie In three conceniric circular rowt
separated by stone cutters which LEAD
/ 10 the canals and wells below Il maj
be- observed that the number : ls sym
bolc Of the three pJeccpts n Zoroaster
and the number % Of the scyenty-two
chapters Of the Yasne. one Of the Sec
lions Of the Zcnd-Avosta The outer
circular row OF stone bicrs serves for
the men 81 the Parscr faith To the
row next smaller are consigned the
bodies ~ The women. while the inner
row is Tor the bodies o, the children.
The boaren Of bodies 10 the Interior OF
the towers OF silence take many precau-
lions % avoid spreading contarion.
without After dcpoatinr the body on
lts slab they h1ihe aud change every
shred Of clothing before lsung from
the tower. and the Parsecs st1utly deny
that their funeral customs lrc In any
wise responsible Tor the spreading OF
contagion Our prophet Zoruasicr."
they say. who lived more than 5000
years ago. has taught o. 20 consider
the elements ns the rymbols % diyln-
ity Earth. water and hre ought never
20 BE- polluted under any circumstance
by contact With putreiacton Naked
we came into the world. naked We 10
out o. w. ncedful that the particles Of
our bodies BE- dccomposod as rapidly a.
possible. that our mother. the earth. be-
not dehled God sends the yulturea.
and surely they ac omp.lsh their work
more rapidly than DO millions % in
sects. IN the case Of burial Prom the
sanitary point Of view no aystem can
be- better than ours