|
|
|
| Home » Tourist Attractions in Mumbai » Tower of Silence |
|
Tower of Silence in Mumbai |
|
|
Tower of Silence, Mumbai is actually a Parsi holy place where the dead persons of the Parsis are given the last rites. It is situates at the city center but is secluded surprisingly on a hill. The beautiful surroundings of Tower of Silence, Mumbai are contrast to the funeral proceedings which take place in this location. Non Parsi persons are not allowed to view the religious ceremony of the last performed rites. This is a circular structure which was used by Zoroastrians as an exposure of the dead people.
The structure is devoid of any standard name. Dakhma, was originally denoted as any place of the dead.
|
|
The term Tower of Silence, Mumbai, is a neologism which can be attributed to Robert Murphy, who was a translator of the British Colonial Government of India.
Tower of Silence, Mumbai is more or less uniform in construction having a nearly flat roof, whose perimeter is slightly higher than its center. There are three concentric rings in the roofs which divide the roof in three divisions. Dead bodies of men are arranged in the outer ring, whereas, dead bodies of women are arranged in the second ring and the innermost rings are for the dead bodies of children. The bones of the dead bodies are bleached under the sun, which are collected in ossuary pit at the center of the tower. Here the bones disintegrate and the remaining material are washed out by rainwater, finally falls into the sea.
Many tourists want to have a look at this different tourist attraction of Mumbai. It bears historical importance of the ritual of Parsis. However, no one apart from Parsis are given the permission to be present at the last funeral rites. Only the special class of people are allowed to be present at the last rites and keeping the body at the Tower of Silence, Mumbai.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
