The Parsi Tower of Silence

One building…On my way to and from the Bangalore International Airport, one building often catches my eye:

twr silnce sign bhavita 1911111

I have long known the custom of the Parsi community to dispose of their dead by exposing the bodies to the elements and to the sun. I vaguely remember being shown a "Tower of Silence" in Mumbai, many decades ago.

I googled for "Tower of Silence", and got this link about

Dakhma, transliterated as "Tower of Silence"

I was not sure if the Tower of Silence in Bangalore is being used now…but a little digging produced

this link to an article in the Hindu

…which seems to say that it was, at least, nearly three years ago. Today? I do not know.

Instead of being in a remote area, it is now right alongside a major highway; and in any case, vultures, the main birds who would feed on carrion, are so depleted in this area that there is just a tiny population about a dozen birds or less, in Ramnagara, even though the article says the lack of vultures is not an issue.

As I seem to see this place only whizzing past on the way to the airport or to Nandi Hills, I asked my friend Bhavita Toliya to click a few photographs, and though she didn’t venture into the place, she sent me this beautiful photo of the winged-disk design:

Photobucket

1940 seems, (71 years ago), not all that distant a date in history when this place was constructed; and it serves as a reminder of how rapid the change in our city has been.

There is also an inscription in Gujrati, of which I can read only the first two words, "Sri Jahangir"….

prsi twr inscription bhavita 191111

I do wonder what the rest of the plaque says.

To see another interesting article about the Parsis,

click here

For an article from Citizen Matters.

Bhavita was told that another place has been acquired, and this will probably be "developed" into an apartment complex.

And so, perhaps, another landmark of our city will disappear….

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Similar Story

Nature Feature: A dinner invitation

"Will you walk into my parlour?" Said the spider to the fly. "I've spread a carpet of silk and diamonds! Walk in, and don't be shy! Do come along, for I grow thinner... I've LOVE to have you, ahem, for dinner!" Jokes apart, Funnel Web Spiders also called Wolf Spiders, are named because of the funnel-like web they weave...and the second name is given because they are ferocious predators. They build a flat sheet of nonsticky web with a funnel-shaped retreat to one side or occasionally in the middle, depending on the situation and species. The typical hunting mode is…

Similar Story

Theatre Review: “Credit Titles” by Bangalore Little Theatre

It was like a rare alignment of the planets: several factors come together to pull me out of my usual Ranga Shankara ambit for watching a play. I had not been to visit Bangalore International Centre, which opened a while ago in Domlur; Bangalore Little Theatre, as part of their "VP 80" festival, was staging "Credit Titles"; the play, written by Vijay Padaki, whose 80th birthday the festival marks, was based on a story by Vinod Vyasulu, an eminent economist whom I've known for a long time, as our daughters share a cose friendship dating from 1988. And last but…