| Towers Of Silence |
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| zoroastrianism | |
| death customs | |
| towers in india | |
| towers in iran | |
| iranian architecture | |
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The Towers of Silence (also ''dakhma'' or ''dokhma'') are Zoroastrian funerary towers, the majority of which are located in Mumbai , India , belonging to Parsi Zoroastrians, and in Yazd and Kerman , Iran , belonging to the Iranian Zoroastrians. Zoroastrians consider the Dead Body to be unclean, and their religion prohibits allowing corpses to pollute the pure Elements of earth and fire. Corpses are therefore placed atop the Towers of Silence for their flesh to be consumed by Vulture s. Once the bones have been bleached by the sun and wind, they are thrown into the Ossuary pit at the center of the tower. In the Iranian Zoroastrian tradition, the Towers of Silence were built atop hills or low mountains in desert locations distant from population centers. In the early twentieth century, the Iranian Zoroastrians discontinued usage of the Towers and now bury their dead in cemeteries. Some have even taken the practice of Cremating their dead, though this is forbidden by the Gathas . In the Parsi Zoroastrian tradition, the Towers are squat buildings surrounded by forest gardens, and may only be entered by a special class of due to poisoning by the livestock drug Diclofenac (the use of which was banned by the Indian government in 2005 ) and the remaining vultures are often unable to fully consume the bodies. If their numbers continue to fall, this tradition may end. Parsi communities in India are currently evaluating Captive Breeding of vultures so that they may be able to honor their burial rites. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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