Adapting Death Rituals: Tradition vs Modernity

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The chapter explores the challenges faced by the Parsi community in Dungravadi as they struggle to adapt their death rituals following the collapse of the system due to the decline in vulture populations. It delves into the efforts to mask the smell of rotting bodies in the Towers of Silence using various methods and the debates surrounding the adoption of new techniques like gasification and promession. Despite internal dialogues and external suggestions, the community remains divided on how to balance tradition with modern solutions.

Situated right in downtown Mumbai, India is an area of about 55 acres of dense, overgrown forest. In one of the most populous cities in the world, this is a place where peacocks roam freely -- a space out of time. This forest is protected by a religious community. It has survived in a relatively undeveloped state in the middle of this gargantuan city. Importantly, it’s also home to an ancient tradition in crisis -- one that is central to the lives (and deaths) of a particular population.

There’s a certain point in this forest beyond which almost no one can step -- only special caretakers of these grounds can go any further. They go by many names: khandia, nassassalar, pallbearer, corpse bearer. Their work here is holy. They carry dead bodies to their final resting place – atop stone structures that stand gray against the lush green. These buildings are called Towers of Silence.

Towers of Silence

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