Towers of Silence

The Towers of Silence are Zoroastrian funeral buildings located in Mumbai, India. In a central part of Zoroastrian funerary rituals, the dead are placed in the towers to be consumed by vultures. Zoroastrians consider the dead body to be unclean, and their religion proscribes allowing corpses to pollute the pure elements of earth and fire. The Towers are squat buildings surrounded by forest gardens, and may only be entered by a special class of pall-bearers. Bodies are arranged inside the towers in three rings: men around the outside, women in the second circle, and children in the innermost ring. After their flesh has been consumed, the skeletons are placed in pits in the center of the towers.

Recent Problems

In the past several years, the vulture population has greatly declined, and the remaining vultures are often unable to fully consume the bodies. If their numbers continue to fall, this tradition may end.