The Haunting of Mumbai's Tower of Silence

History and significance of the Tower of Silence in Mumbai

The Tower of Silence is a circular structure located in Mumbai’s Malabar Hill area. This particular tower was built in 1672 by Seth Moti Hirji and the Parsi community who practice the Zoroastrian religion and is not meant for outsiders to come and see, but for the community to bury their own.

Read more: Check out more ghost stories from cemeteries around the world

The Tower is a significant part of the Parsi community’s funeral customs that date back 3000 years, which involve the disposal of the dead in a sky burial. The concept of the towers are as old as 900 years. The Parsi religion believes that the body is impure after death and should not be buried or cremated. Instead, the dead are taken to the Tower of Silence, where they are left on the rooftop to be consumed by vultures.

The Zoroastrian religion and its beliefs around death

The Parsi community is an ethnic and religious minority in India that came to India around the 8th or 10th century AD after escaping from the rise of the Islamic Empire. In 1941 there were around 114 000 of them in India, but today, they estimate around 50 000. This does have something to do with 40 % of Parsi marrying outsiders, but you are only considered Parsi if you have a Parsi father. The women are often ostracized if they marry outside of their community.

The Parsi follow the Zoroastrian religion, which originated in ancient Persia and is one of the world’s oldest faiths that possibly dates back to the 2000 BCE. The Zoroastrian religion has a unique view on death and the afterlife compared to most religions. This comes from the prophet Zarathushtra that believed that the soul is immortal and will eventually reunite with its creator.

**The Faravahar:** also known as the **Foruhar** or the **Farre Kiyâni**, is a well-known symbol of Zoroastrianism. There are different interpretations of what the Faravahar represents, and there is no definite agreement on its meaning. However, it is commonly believed that the Faravahar is a Zoroastrian depiction of the fravashi, or personal spirit. The Faravahar is widely recognized in Iran and is often worn as a pendant. Although it has religious origins, it has also become a secular and cultural symbol for Iranians.

However, the body is considered Nasu which means impure after death and should not be buried or cremated. Instead, it should be left to decompose naturally. Not only was there the danger of spreading diseases, but it was also believed that corpses would attract evil spirits to possess them, also known as the Nasu Daeva, the body demon that infects the bodies.

The Parsi community’s funeral customs involve taking the body of the deceased to the Tower of Silence, where it is left on the rooftop to be consumed by vultures. This funeral process is known as “dokhmenashini,” which means “to place the body in the Tower of Silence.” and the towers themselves, called The Dakhma, originated in ancient Persia around 900 AD.

The process of disposing of the dead at the Tower of Silence

The process of disposing of the dead at the Tower of Silence is a unique and complex one. When a Parsi person dies, the body is taken to the Tower of Silence and placed on the rooftop in the dakhma, which is the funerary tower. The rooftop has three concentric circles, each with a specific purpose. The outer circle is for men, the middle circle is for women, and the inner circle is for children.

**The Tower of Silence in Mumbai:** A late 19th century engraving of a Zoroastrian Tower of Silence in Mumbai. Engraving from 1886 book “True Stories of the Reign of Queen Victoria” by Cornelius Brown.

Along with placing the body in the Tower of Silence, they recite the Vendidad which is a religious chant against the demons.

Once the body is placed on the rooftop, it is left to decompose naturally. The vultures consume the body, leaving only the bones behind in a matter of days. The bones are then collected and placed in an ossuary, which is a receptacle for human bones.

Controversies and debates around the Tower of Silence

The Tower of Silence has been a subject of controversy and debate for many years. Some people believe that the Parsi community’s funeral customs are inhumane and should be abolished. They argue that the Tower of Silence is a health hazard and a breeding ground for diseases, especially after Mumbai’s urban growth closing in on the once isolated sky burial sites. In Iran, they were banned in the 1970s after urbanization declared it a health hazard.

There was also the case of a shortage of vultures in India that made the burial method a controversy. After the drug Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory medicine was introduced to livestock in the 1990s, it killed off 95 % of the birds as it was toxic for them to feed on the carcasses. It was banned in 2006, but the damage was already done.

On the other hand, the Parsi community argues that their funeral customs are an essential part of their identity and cultural heritage, although many Parsi have started to use cremation or burial instead, especially during Covid when the Tower of Silence was closed.

**Entry Forbidden:** An old photograph of the Dakhma from around ca. 1880 – ca. 1890. Today it is found inside of a dense forest and is off limit to outsiders.

They believe that the Tower of Silence is the most natural and respectful way to dispose of the dead. But when a woman named Dhun Baria took pictures of the piled up corpses in the dakhmas, they saw for themselves that their ancient way of purification didn’t work as it should after the vulture shortage. The rumors about the delayed decomposing of the corpses and a smell coming from the forest, although not confirmed, took hold over the narrative of the ancient tradition.

In recent years, there have been efforts to preserve and renovate the Tower of Silence, trying new and modern ways of decomposing. Like how they use solar power to speed up the process and work toward vulture conservation. The Parsi community has been working with the government and other organizations to ensure that the Tower is properly maintained and preserved for future generations.

Theories and speculations surrounding the macabre mystery

Now, perhaps this ancient and mysterious and different practice of disposing of the dead is what makes the place sound a little eerie and makes people question if there is something going on there. Perhaps it is the dwindling population that is leaving the Zoroastrian ways behind in the modern world that makes it all seem a bit out of place in modern Mumbai?

Or perhaps it is even the controversies and the difficulty the community had of disposing and honoring the dead after the vultures almost died out? Perhaps it is what the prophet said that the corpses are more vulnerable to attracting evil spirits and that is what is happening surrounding the legends and folklore of this cemetery?

There have been numerous reports of strange sightings and eerie happenings around the Tower of Silence. Some people have reported seeing apparitions of the deceased, while others have reported hearing strange sounds and voices. There have also been reports of unexplained movements and objects moving on their own.

The Tower of Silence’s Future

The Tower of Silence is a unique and fascinating structure with a rich history and cultural significance. It is a testament to the Parsi community’s unique customs and beliefs, which have been passed down through generations. Despite the controversy and speculation surrounding the Tower, it remains an essential part of the Parsi community’s identity and a significant landmark in Mumbai.