Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-02-16
THE TOWERS OF SILENCE.
Complete Description of midas strangest
Burial Places.

Less is known by the masses of the
occldent of the Zoroastrians.or Parsees,
and their religion, than of any other
Oriental community: and although
their Dahkmas. or tokers of silence, at
Bombay, India, have been more or less
superlically described by travellers. the
architectural details of these peculiar
structures have rarely, If ever. APP
peared in European or American pub
LEGATION.
The most unique and impressive fea-
tare of Zoroastrian customs is their
method of disposing of the dead. Ac-
cording to their religion, earth. fire, and
water are sacred elements, useful to
mankind, and hence not to be polluted
in any way. They are strictly enjoined
that dead bodies shall not be thrown
Into the sea, burned in fire, nor buried
in the earth. Therefore the only practi-
cable course open to them is to expose
the naked bodies OF their dead in the
open air so that they may decay and
disintegrate under the ordinary action
of the elements or be devourned by
birds or beasts. This exposure, however.
il made with the confident expectation
that the corpse will be speedily eaten
vultures. which are numerous and
voracious in Oriental countries, and
especially SO in the vicinity OF tower
of silence.
These towers are not as numerous as
IL generally supposed. outside of Per-
STA and Russia the only ones In use at
present are those at Bombay and one or
two in China. Those in Bombay are To-
Gated on the summit of Malabar hill.
n picturesque elevation on the eastern
boundary of the city, from which
magnificent view OF the surrounding
country can be had. The Parsees own
about fifteen acres of the hill, and
have transformed the place into veri-
table paradise.
There is nothing suggestive of death
about the place. 1t is luxuriant gar
den of flowers, ornamental shrubbery,
palms, cypress, bamboo and other trop-
ical trees, laid out with smooth. we'll
kent gravel walks. There are comfort
able benches in shady hooks, secluded
trysting places. and fragrant copses,
where birds of brilliant plumage sing
and mate. Vigorous. exuberant life is
manifest everywhere, while all nature
seems to deprecate funeral thoughts
and to encourage dreams OF earthly joy
and beauty. But these dreams are in
measure dispelled when one sees Il
tower of silence nesting among the
trees and recalls the purpose for which
these round. whitewashed piles of solid
masonry were built.
There are six of these towers located
within less than 100 yards of each
other, and partially hidden by the over
hanging foliage of palms and expresses.
Five are used for the exposure of the
bodies Of Parsees in good standing In
their community. while the sixth re-
ceives the bodies of criminals and out
casts. The first was built In 1868 and
the second in 1856
Each tower is about 30 feet high, $50
feet in circumference. and constructed
OF blocks of trap rock and sandstone
cemented closely and covered on the
outside by n heavy coating of chunam
or stucco. a stone parapet about three
feet high rises above the three con-
centric circles of corpse receptacles
which slope sharply toward the central
wall and seem to be hewn out of solid
rock. Every feature of the structure
represents Zoroastrian principle or
tenet. The three circles of corpse
receptacles-A for males, q for females
and c for children-stand for the three
fundamental precepts of 2oroastrian-
ism, /. e.. Good words, good thoughts,
good deeds There are seventy-two
| receptacles. representing the seventy
chapters Of the Yasna OF Zoroaster. Il
portion OF the Zend Avesta
The central wall, where the homes of
the dead nre finally thrown, is about
ninety feet in circumference. and the
sides and bottom are paved with stone
slabs. There are holes In the sides Of
this we'll. near the bottom. through
which the rainwater flows into the
four underground drains at the base
Of the tower, These drains connect
with the underground wells the bot
toms OF which are covered with n
| tl;lck layer of sand. Pieces of sand
| store and charcoal. placed ut the end
of each drain and renewed at inter-
walls. alter and purify the rain water
| which passes over the bones in the
| central we'll. before 1t enters the
| ground thus observing the tenet:
| Mother Earth shalt not be denled."
When death occurs the body Is
| wrapped in n white sheet and placed
| on an iron bier. Within twelve hours
| thereafter II is taken In charge by
official corpse bearers. called khan
dias. and procession is formed. head
| ell by one or more mobeda or Parsee
| priests, followed by the mourning
relatives, each couple holding the op-
posite ends of n white handkerchief.
| An thr participants are attired In new
white robes which are never worn
| afteTw1rd. No carriage or other
| wheeled vehicle 10 ever used, and the
procession marches slowly and In ST.
| lencc from the Parsec. quarter of the
| city to Malnbar hill and up the long
| flights OF stone steps to the tower on
the summit AVID to n point within
thirty feet of the particular tower Sc
lected for the exposure. Here the