The Towers of Silence

The Towers of Silence originate from the Zoroastrian tradition which considers dead bodies unclean. To avoid the pollution of earth or fire, the bodies of the dead are placed on the top of a tower. Exposed to birds of prey and the elements, the bodies are purified and their contaminants removed of evils.

The towers are fairly uniform in their construction with slightly tilted flat roof as the outside perimeter is a touch higher than the center. The roof is divided into three concentric rings: The bodies of men are arranged around the outer ring, women in the second circle, and children in the innermost ring. Once the bones have been bleached by the sun and wind, which can take as long as a year, they are collected in an ossuary pit at the center of the tower.  Assisted by lime, they gradually decompose and the remaining material with the assistance of run-off rainwater travels through a multiple coal and sand filter system before being eventually washed out to sea. The ritual area may be entered only by a special class of ritual specialists.

In Parsi Zoastrian tradition, exposure of the dead is additionally considered to be an individual's final act of charity as well, providing the birds with what would otherwise be destroyed.

Today in India, these buildings are still situated near urban populations but separated by forest gardens.

 Sounds like a sustainable practice to me... feed the endangered birds (in India populations of birds of prey have substantially declined due to the introduction  of diclofenac for livestock, poisoning many species), compost the ground and return to the sea; avoiding both taking up valuable space and spreading disease.

The more I look into other cultures mortuary rituals, the more unsatisfactory my families traditional one appears to me. Too many options... although, Parsi are pretty exclusive about who has the right to be disposed of in these towers. I might have to build my own tower and I would be lonely; maybe I could start a new trend in Canada? I don't know that the decomposition rates would be nearly as fast here though...

Zorastrianism: The Religion of the Good Life R Masani - 2005 - Genesis Publishing Pvt Ltd