Former chairman of Tata Group Ratan Tata is no more. He belonged to the Parsi community. In this community, there has been a tradition of not burning or burying the dead bodies, but leaving them in the open without shroud, where birds like vultures peck at the dead bodies and eat them. The place where the dead body was buried
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Two years ago, Frontpage Insights reporter Manisha Bhalla had reached 'Tower of Silence'. He covered the funeral rituals of the Parsis in detail. Publishing that story again today. Read through the eyes of Frontpage Insights reporter…
I am at Churchgate station in South Mumbai. Coming out from here I reach Marine Drive. From there, a dense forest is visible across the sea in the corner. It took 20 minutes to reach there by car. This forest spread over 55 acres on Malabar Hills is years old. This is Dungarwadi. That is, the last worldly destination of a Parsi after his death.
I reached here first by car and then by walking through stone pathways. There is silence. A few people amidst greenery and trees bathed in rain drops. Small houses are called bungalows or funeral parlors.
Before the last rites of a Parsi, his dead body is kept here. From here, after walking about 10 kilometers through a narrow path, we find Dakhma i.e. Tower of Silence.
Instead of burning, burying or dumping the dead body, Parsis leave it in the Tower of Silence for vultures to eat. Within two-three months, the vultures eat the flesh of the body and the remaining bones are buried in a pit.
This picture of the Tower of Silence is from 1880. Vultures are seen sitting on its walls. Non-Parsis are not allowed to come here.
Now you may have a question in your mind that why do Parsis do this, let us understand.
In Parsi religion the last rites last for four days. On the first day, the dead body is prepared and brought to the bungalow. After this the dead body is left in the Tower of Silence for vultures to eat. The fourth day is the day of judgment of the soul.
Khojesti P Mistry, Managing Trustee of the Zoroastrian Studies Center located in Colaba, Maharashtra, says that Ahura Mazda, the God of the Parsis, knows everything, but he is not omnipotent. That is why Ahura Mazda does not give death. Giving death is the devil's work.
After the soul leaves the body, Naso i.e. the devil resides in it. Because of this the dead body becomes impure.
Parsis consider fire to be the Son of God. Let's worship it. Water and soil are also sacred for them. Therefore, after someone's death, Parsis neither burn nor bury the dead body. They believe that by doing this, the nerves will enter the fire, water and soil and pollute them.
How does the devil enter a dead body?
Khojesti P Mistry is the only person in the world who counsels Parsis about their customs and religious practices.
Mistry says- Right after someone's death, family members can touch and kiss the dead body. After that the Nasasalar is informed about the death. Nasasalar goes to collect the dead body in his vehicle. These are the people who live in bungalows. They are the ones who perform all the rituals after death. It is believed that Nasasalar keeps the nerves safe with his prayers.
First of all they cut the clothes of the dead body. Then he is bathed with cold water. It is believed that after this the devil enters the dead body. That means now no one except Nasasalar can touch this body. The family and relatives of the deceased also have to stay at a distance of 9 feet.
After this, cow urine is applied on the body. Then he is made to wear white colored sadara and pajama. Sadra is an inner garment made of muslin cloth, which is a symbol of purity. On top of this, a loose kasti (kind of sacred thread) is tied, which has 72 threads made of goat's wool. It gives right direction to life. It is called direction finder.
After death, Nasasalar dresses the dead body in white clothes and cap. During this time the family members have to stand 9 feet away. Illustration: Gautam Chakraborty
There are 72 tandas because the Parsi philosophy of life is described in 72 Yasna (rituals performed on different occasions) in their religious text Gatha. After this he is made to wear a cap. Lastly, wrap it with a white sheet. After this the dead body is taken to the bungalow.
Belief: A dog can see whether the devil has gone out of the body or not.
Among Parsis, dog has special importance during funeral rites. It is believed that these dogs are the ones who verify whether a person has died or not.
After being taken to the bungalow, the dead body is placed on three marble slabs. After that, Nasasalar, holding nails in his hand, revolves around the body three times in a clockwise direction and recites his mantras.
After this the body is lifted from the slab and placed on a stretcher. During this, Nasasalar takes nails in his hand and rotates them anti-clockwise. So that the devil remains within the range of the nail. After this the dog is brought there. Which confirms whether the dead person is alive or not.
If the dog barks, it means the man is alive.
During this time, two Parsi priests i.e. Athornan keep praying. Both of them tie themselves to each other with a white cloth, so that the devil gets scared seeing the strength of the two people and cannot come out.
According to the mechanic, this happened once in the 50s, when a dog started barking after seeing a dead body. Later it was found that the man was in a coma.
Dadar East is home to the Athornan Institute, a center for Parsi religious education. This is only in Mumbai in the whole world. The principal here, Dr. Ramier P Karanjia, says that if the death occurs in the evening, then the body is kept in the bungalow overnight. during this time Farjiat (Parsi prayer) Keeps happening.
Flowers, sandalwood and fire are burnt near the dead body. It is believed that the devil remains controlled by the fragrance of sandalwood and runs away from fire.
Parsis consider fire sacred and worship it. Until the last rites of the dead person are performed, these people keep praying continuously by keeping fire near his dead body.
Sunlight has great importance for Parsis. Therefore, only after the sun rises, the next day the dead body is taken to the Tower of Silence i.e. Dakhma for funeral. The height of Dakhma is 21 feet.
It is circular and has three grooves around it. The first slot is for men, the middle slot is for women and the third slot is for children. There is a deep pit right in the middle. The pit is fortified by driving 301 nails in 16 directions.
It has only one gate which is open from the top, so that vultures can eat the flesh of the dead body and the sun's rays can fall on it.
After bringing the body to the Tower of Silence, the family members of the deceased get a chance to have darshan for the last time, but from a distance of 9 feet. Here the clothes of the dead body are removed and burnt in a pit. The body is kept without clothes. Men and women, everyone. During this period, the family of the deceased does not even eat non-veg for 4 days.
Nasasalar carrying the body for the last rites at the Tower of Silence. Nasasalar is the one who performs the last rites. Illustration: Gautam Chakraborty
Parsis believe that the soul remains outside the body in the same place for the first three days. After this she becomes like a small child. Gets scared. Day of Judgment occurs on the fourth day. That means the day of judgment of the soul. The ritual performed on this day is called High Prayer. On this day it is necessary for the family of the deceased to be present there.
On this day the four judges of Ahura Mazda decide whether that soul is good or bad. These judges are called Yazd. The decision is taken according to the good and bad deeds and good and bad words spoken by the deceased.
If the soul has done good deeds, then it is sent along with the rays of the sun to heaven i.e. the House of Song. If one has done bad deeds, then that soul itself has to go to hell i.e. the House of Deceit. After this the dead body is left there.
Now the work of the vultures begins. As soon as they see a dead body here, they come down and start eating it. As far as time is concerned, it depends on the size of the body. Earlier, vultures used to eat the flesh of a dead body within ten to fifteen days, but now the number of vultures has reduced considerably, so it takes two to three months.
This is how a dead body is kept in the Tower of Silence. Whose flesh is eaten by vultures within 2-3 months. (symbolic picture)
After the vultures eat the meat, the remaining bones are left to decompose in the sun and rain. In the end, whatever part of the body is left, it is thrown into the dry well in the middle of the Nasasalar Tower of Silence, which contains lime and black salt. Its powder is formed in the well in eight to ten months.
Still, the larger bones that survive are buried with lime and salt in a pit near the Nasasalar Tower of Silence. In this way the Parsis complete the last rites.
Earlier Parsis used to worship the devil, Zarathushtra explained
Mistry says that before the arrival of Zoroastrian prophet Zarathushtra (founder of Zoroastrianism) on earth, Iranian people used to worship 'Deva Yasna'. Here Deva does not mean god, but devil. He believed that by worshiping the devil one gets immediate relief from any trouble.
Zarathushtra explained to the people that they should not worship Deva Yasna, he is the devil. We have to worship wisdom. He asked to worship Ahuramazda (God of the Persians). Who is called Lord of Wisdom. Zarathushtra did not write any scriptures, but told people about right and wrong by singing (humming) five hymns.
Zarathushtra has described the first Gatha as the most important for the dead. At the time of funeral and while bathing the dead body, Ahunavaiti (a kind of prayer) of the first gatha is recited.
10% Parsis now have access to electricity crematorium perform the last rites in
Industrialist Cyrus Mistry, who lost his life in a road accident on September 4, was cremated at Worli's Electric Crematorium instead of Parsi tradition. Dr. Ramier P Karanjia, Principal of Parsi Religious Education Center, says that Cyrus Mistry's father died about two months before his death. His funeral was held at the Tower of Silence.
Actually, Cyrus's wife is Muslim. Her sons were not happy with the fact that their mother would not even be able to see her dead husband closely. According to Karanjia, many Parsis of the new generation do not want the body of their loved one to remain in the open for many days. Now about 10% of Parsi families cremate in electric crematorium.
During Covid, only one tower in the Tower of Silence was open for those who died of Covid. This is also a major reason for adopting electric crematorium.
Parsis reached India in the 7th century riding on three boats.
Iran of the 7th century was known as Persia. Then there was the rule of Sasanian Empire and Zoroastrianism was the state religion there. The story of the arrival of Parsis in India comes to us from the Zoroastrian saga named Kissa-e-Sanjan. It was written by Dastur Bahman in 1600 AD.
In fact, the last emperor of Iran, Yazdegard, was defeated by the Arabs in the battle of Nehavand in 641 AD. Only after this the Parsis started fleeing from there to escape the atrocities of the Arabs.
Some people went and settled in the hills of Khorasan. By the 8th century, the Persian kings settled on the hills of Khorasan began to be defeated. After this most of the people reached Hormuz port and stayed there for about 30 years.
When the atrocities against them did not stop here too, from there they boarded three boats and reached Diu island in Kathiawar, Gujarat. From here he reached Valsad. Then Jadhav Rana, the king of this area of Gujarat, allowed the Parsis to live here with some conditions. Where the Parsis established a small town named Sanjan.
40% of the world's Parsis live in Mumbai, total population less than 1.25 lakh.
According to the Zoroastrian Studies Center of Mumbai, the total number of Parsis in the world is 1 lakh 15 thousand. Of these, 40% Parsis live only in Mumbai. Dadar East, Colaba, Bhaikalla, Parel and Malabar Hills of South Mumbai are the destinations of Parsis. The big bungalows of Parsis here and the special British architecture of their houses tell us that Parsi families live here.
One third of Parsis do not marry, population is decreasing
Among Parsis, 30% men and 28% women do not marry because being a small community, they do not find perfect matches.
Due to the declining population of Parsis, Parjor, an organization of Parsis in Delhi, runs a fertility program in collaboration with the Government of India. In which he provides treatment to those Parsi couples who cannot have a child. This treatment is free. Because of this, 261 Parsi children have been born in the last 6 years.
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You can also read this special story…
Frontpage Insights Reporter's night in Kamakhya crematorium: Tantrik placed a human bone on his head while reciting mantra, even the female doctor was getting the funeral done for Rs 10 lakhs
Time: it's almost 12 o'clock at night
Place: Bhootnath cremation ground at the foothills of Kamakhya Shaktipeeth, 11 km north of Guwahati.
Smoldering pyres all around. Eyes burning due to the flames of fire and the rising smoke… the black and white color of the ash was leaving marks on the clothes and the heat was so much that it would leave a mark on the skin. Amidst all this the Tantrik is sitting in Samadhi. Someone is chanting with Narmund near the pyre, while someone is engrossed in Tantra Sadhana. (Read the full story)
Graphics Source: VaskarAssets
