Zoroastrianism Funeral Rites

I have always been fascinated and somewhat amused by Parsi funeral rites which basically centre on the notion that the body must be exposed after death. The ritual is referred to as “Dakhma Nashini” and begins three hours after death since it is believed that evil decay of the body begins at this time. It is prohibited for anyone to touch the dead body except for the “Nassesalars” or corpse bearers. A corpse is considered to be filthy and unclean and is bathed with “Taro” which is the urine of a special white bull to purify it. This is an ancient Aryan tradition of purification.

After the corpse is washed and the body clothed in a “Sudreh” or religious garment, it is tied to an iron bar and placed on a stone slab where a dog is made to gaze at the face of the deceased to make sure there are no evil spirits lurking around it. Dogs, according to Parsi tradition possess divine sight and are able to see and chase away evil spirits. Finally the corpse is placed in a well shaped circular stone structure also called the “Tower of Silence”. Placed in the open vultures take no time at all in devouring the flesh of the deceased.

Mumbai is home to the largest Parsi community and there are only 250,000 Zoroastrians in the world today. Over 55 acres in size, Mumbai also has the largest Parsi cemetary which was in the news a while ago because cemetary caretakers allowed billboards to be constructed on its grounds. This was done in order for them to raise money for cemetary care taking and was met with a lot of hostility by the Parsi community.