5 ms·

The Zoroastrian way of disposal is rather exotic: "The bodies are not placed on the ground because their presence would corrupt the earth. For the same reason,

The Zoroastrian way of disposal is rather exotic: "The bodies are not placed on the ground because their presence would corrupt the earth. For the same reason, Zoroastrians do not cremate their dead, as it would corrupt the fire. The dakhma is a wide tower with a platform open to the sky. Corpses are left on the platform to be picked clean by vultures, a process which only takes a few hours. This allows a body to be consumed before dangerous corruption sets in." http://www.avesta.org/ritual/funeral.htm http://www.avesta.org/ritual/funeral.htm http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/zoroastrian/ritesrituals/funerals.shtml http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/zoroastrian/ritesrit... https://www.thoughtco.com/zoroastrian-funerals-95949 https://www.thoughtco.com/zoroastrian-funerals-95949

fapjacks 9y ago
Yes but the problem with sky burials are the environmental contamination of leaving hundreds of bodies (or whatever remains after the vultures have their supper) to slowly decompose in one single spot. You can easily google for images of typical Zoroastrian "Towers of Silence" and see that quite a lot of stuff is left over, which the villagers just sweep off the ledge into the center hole. The idea that the corpse is "picked clean" is really debatable and demonstrably false in many cases, as you can clearly see in the images of Towers of Silence. I don't pretend to be privy to the facts -- and perhaps someone will correct me with a citation -- but from my understanding, "environmental contamination" is often one of the arguments against allowing the construction of Towers of Silence.
- Retric 9y ago
  Deer and other large mammals regularly die in the wild. Vultures are just the first stage of decomposition, so while they don't get everything even bones get taken care of and Towers of Science take up far less space than a cemetery. The issue with human remains is really disease transmission, and while not perfect they do work fairly well.
- YeGoblynQueenne 9y ago
  This is the result of the use of Diclofenac, a non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug, to care for livestock. The vultures eat the livestock carcasses, and die of the diclofenac... in great numbers. 99.9% (yes) of Indian vultures are gone- which, among other things, makes Parsi sky burials ineffective: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diclofenac#Ecological_effects https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diclofenac#Ecological_effects In the past, the vultures would have picked the bones clean. Now there's just not enough vultures- hence the image you describe.
mrec 9y ago
Not unique to Zoroastrians; the "sky burial" tradition in Tibet and (parts of) Mongolia is much the same. Beyond the symbolic aspects, it's practical in regions where there's very little wood for cremation, and the ground may be too hard for actual burial.

fapjacks 9y ago

Yes but the problem with sky burials are the environmental contamination of leaving hundreds of bodies (or whatever remains after the vultures have their supper) to slowly decompose in one single spot. You can easily google for images of typical Zoroastrian "Towers of Silence" and see that quite a lot of stuff is left over, which the villagers just sweep off the ledge into the center hole. The idea that the corpse is "picked clean" is really debatable and demonstrably false in many cases, as you can clearly see in the images of Towers of Silence. I don't pretend to be privy to the facts -- and perhaps someone will correct me with a citation -- but from my understanding, "environmental contamination" is often one of the arguments against allowing the construction of Towers of Silence.

Retric 9y ago
Deer and other large mammals regularly die in the wild. Vultures are just the first stage of decomposition, so while they don't get everything even bones get taken care of and Towers of Science take up far less space than a cemetery. The issue with human remains is really disease transmission, and while not perfect they do work fairly well.
YeGoblynQueenne 9y ago
This is the result of the use of Diclofenac, a non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug, to care for livestock. The vultures eat the livestock carcasses, and die of the diclofenac... in great numbers. 99.9% (yes) of Indian vultures are gone- which, among other things, makes Parsi sky burials ineffective: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diclofenac#Ecological_effects https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diclofenac#Ecological_effects In the past, the vultures would have picked the bones clean. Now there's just not enough vultures- hence the image you describe.

mrec 9y ago

Not unique to Zoroastrians; the "sky burial" tradition in Tibet and (parts of) Mongolia is much the same. Beyond the symbolic aspects, it's practical in regions where there's very little wood for cremation, and the ground may be too hard for actual burial.