The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-03-07
TOWERS OF SILENCE.
HOW THE FOLLOWERS OF zORoASTER
BURY THEIR DEAD.

Said to Be One Cause of the Spread of the
Bubonic Plague In BOmbay-The Dead
Are Placed In the Open and Eaten by
Vultures.
The bubonic plague, which now is
ravaging India and has gone as far on
the way to Europe as the island of KAN
aran, in the Red sea, is attributed by
medical men to a number of diverse
causes. 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 atten-
ton.
These towers of which there are lis
scattered throughout India, serve devo-
tees of the Parsee cult in place of bury
ing grounds. This body of religionists,
one of the most curious and at the same
time one of the most civilized in India,
is given to the worship of fire in all its
forms. At Bombay where their colony
numbers Al, 458 persons, and which, it
is to be noted, has suffered more than
any other Indian city from the pesti-
lence, the Parsees have built seven of
these towers, one after the other, for the
inhumation, so to speak, of their core
ligionists. These seven towers, or dak-
mas, are grouped at the summit of NAL
abar HILL which overlooks the sea at
some miles distance from Bombay.
Contrary to what one might suppose,
Malabar hill is delightful suburb, we'll
built up with beautiful cottages, the
jewellers in which seem to live in no
fear of the hideous dakmas near by.
In point of construction these towers
are enormous masses of masonry, built
to last for centuries. The material is
black granite, heavily whitewashed.
Their height is altogether out of pro-
portion to their diameter The highest
of them is 80 feet in diameter and 35
feet high. A stone parapet IA feet high
surrounds the platform on which the
bodies are first laid Thus all that passes
within is invisible from without, but
the tower is open to sun and rain.
In the center of the platform is we'll,
Is feet in depth and 40 feet in diameter,
into which are cast the bones of the de-
vout after the vultures have stripped
them. From the bottom of this bone
| well, down through the masonry of the
platform, run four canals at right an
giles, each pair to the other. Each of
these ends in pit filled with charcoal,
the intention being thus to purify the
teachings from the bone well. The plat
form above is divided into 70 compart-
ments or open burial cases, disposed
| along radiuses of the tower circle These
lie in three concentric circular rows,
separated by stone cutters, which lead
to the canals and wells below. 1t may
be observed that the number is SYM
bolic Of the precepts of Zoroaster, and
the number 70 of the 70 chapters Of the
Yasne, one of the sections Of the Zend-
Avesta The outer circular row of stone
| biers serves for the men Of the Parsee
faith. To the row next smaller are con-
signed the bodies of the women, while
the inner row is for the bodies of the
| children.
The bearers of bodies to the interior
of the towers of silence take many pre-
cautions to avoid spreading contagion
without After depositing the body on
its slab they battle and change every
shred Of clothing before issuing from
the tower, and the Parsees stoutiy deny
that their funeral customs are in any
wise responsible for the spreading of
contagion.
"Our prophet Zoroaster, they say,
''who lived more than 3, 900 years ago,
has taught us to consider the elements
as.the symbols of divinity. Earth, wa
ter and fire ought never to be polluted
under any circumstances by contact with
putrefaction. Naked we came into the
world; naked we go out. 1t is needful
that the PARTICLES of our bodies be de-
composed as rapidly as possible, that
our mother, the earth, may not be de-
filed. God sends the vultures, and surely
| they accomplish their work more rapid
I ly than do millions of insects i'll the
case of burial. From the sanitary point
of view no system can be better than
ours. monde Illustre.