From the caves and jungles of Hindostan

FROM THE CAVES AND JUNGLES OF HINDOSTAN.

...wretched of beings. Forbidden from entering markets, they must obtain their food however they can. They are born, marry, and die as perfect strangers to everyone except those of their own class, passing through the streets only to collect the dead and carry them to the tower. Even being near one of them is considered a degradation. Entering the tower with a corpse—which is covered in old white rags regardless of its former rank or position—they undress it and place it in silence on one of the three rows described below. Then, still maintaining that same silence, they exit, shut the gate, and burn the rags.

Among these fire-worshippers, Death is stripped of all majesty and is treated as a mere object of disgust. As soon as a sick person’s final hour seems to approach, everyone leaves the room. This is done both to avoid obstructing the soul's departure from the body and to avoid the risk of polluting the living through contact with the dead. Only the mobed priest stays with the dying man for a short time. After whispering the Zend-Avesta precepts Zoroastrian scriptures—"Ashem Vohu" and "Yatha Ahu Vairyo"—into his ear, the priest leaves the room while the patient is still alive. original: "ashem-vóhu" and "Yato-Ahuvarie" are prayers meaning "Righteousness is the best good" and "The will of the Lord," respectively. Then a dog is brought in and made to look straight into the dying person's face. This ceremony is called sag-did, or the "dog’s stare." A dog is the only living creature feared by the Druj-i-nasu—the evil spirit of corruption—and is believed to be able to prevent it from taking possession of the body. It is strictly required that no person’s shadow falls between the dying man and the dog; otherwise, the full strength of the dog’s gaze will be lost, and the demon will seize the opportunity. The body remains where life left it until the nassesalars appear to take it away, their arms hidden up to their shoulders in old bags. After placing the body in an iron coffin—which is the same for everyone—they carry it to the dakhma. If anyone who has once been...

IN BOMBAY.

...carried there should happen to regain consciousness, the nassesalars are required to kill them. This is because a person who has been polluted by the touch of the dead bodies in the dakhma has lost all right to return to the living; to do so would contaminate the entire community. Since several such cases have occurred, the Parsees are trying to pass a new law that would allow these unfortunate "ex-corpses" to live among their friends again. This law would also compel the nassesalars to leave the single gate of the dakhma unlocked, so that a way of escape would be open. It is very strange, but it is said that the vultures, which devour corpses without hesitation, will never touch those who are only apparently dead; instead, they fly away uttering loud shrieks. After a final prayer at the gate of the dakhma, recited from a distance by the mobed and repeated in chorus by the nassesalars, the dog ceremony is repeated. In Bombay, there is a dog specifically trained for this purpose at the entrance to the tower. Finally, the body is taken inside and placed on one of the rows according to its sex and age.

We have twice been present at these death ceremonies, and once at a burial—if I may be permitted to use such an ill-fitting term. In this regard, the Parsees are much more tolerant than the Hindus, who are offended by the mere presence of a European at their religious rites. N. Bayranji, a chief official of the tower, invited us to his house to witness the funeral of a wealthy woman. We watched everything from a distance of about forty paces, sitting quietly on our kind host’s veranda. While the dog was staring into the dead woman’s face, we were gazing just as intently, though with much more disgust, at the huge flock of vultures above the dakhma that kept entering the tower...