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Foreign News
April 1, 1786
Fowle's New Hampshire Gazette And General Advertiser
Portsmouth, Rockingham County, New Hampshire
What is this article about?
An English gentleman in Bombay describes Parjee (Parsee) funeral practices, where bodies are exposed on towers for vultures to devour, contrasting with Gentoo customs of burning the dead. He notes their elemental beliefs and sun worship. Dated March 5, 1785.
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OCR Quality
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Full Text
Extract of a letter from an English gentleman at Bombay, dated March 5, 1785.
"On the top of the Malabar hill, in this island, are two round buildings, on purpose to receive the dead bodies of the Parjees, which are placed and remain there till the bones are clean picked by the birds. A guard constantly stands within a small distance of the place, who is very much displeased if you offer to disturb the vultures in their preying upon the dead bodies. One afternoon, however, I resolved to satisfy my curiosity, so far as to peep into one of these edifices. I perceived several dead bodies, but there was little flesh left upon their bones, and that little was so parched up by the excessive heat of the sun, that it did not emit those stinking effluvia which there was reason to expect ; it was owing, probably, to the same cause, that the bones were rendered quite black.
The poor misguided natives prostrate themselves before the sun, under the same notion that Gentoos reverence an ox or cow ; from the excellent qualities they observe in these created beings, and their great usefulness, each is induced to suppose, that the Godhead does most certainly dwell in them ; and under this mistaken notion, they kindly pay that homage to the Creature, which is only due to the Creator.
As the Gentoos burn their dead, one would think that the Persees, who are so fond of worshiping their deity, under the representation of fire, should be desirous of having their dead bodies committed to that element wherein they suppose their Creator principally to reside ; but, contrary to this, and to the custom of all nations in the world, they neither burn or bury their dead, but cast them into the open air, to be exposed to the several elements, where they are soon devoured by the eagles, vultures, and other birds of prey. The principal they go upon is, that a living man, being compounded of all the elements, it is but reasonable, after he is dead, that every particular element should receive its own again."
"On the top of the Malabar hill, in this island, are two round buildings, on purpose to receive the dead bodies of the Parjees, which are placed and remain there till the bones are clean picked by the birds. A guard constantly stands within a small distance of the place, who is very much displeased if you offer to disturb the vultures in their preying upon the dead bodies. One afternoon, however, I resolved to satisfy my curiosity, so far as to peep into one of these edifices. I perceived several dead bodies, but there was little flesh left upon their bones, and that little was so parched up by the excessive heat of the sun, that it did not emit those stinking effluvia which there was reason to expect ; it was owing, probably, to the same cause, that the bones were rendered quite black.
The poor misguided natives prostrate themselves before the sun, under the same notion that Gentoos reverence an ox or cow ; from the excellent qualities they observe in these created beings, and their great usefulness, each is induced to suppose, that the Godhead does most certainly dwell in them ; and under this mistaken notion, they kindly pay that homage to the Creature, which is only due to the Creator.
As the Gentoos burn their dead, one would think that the Persees, who are so fond of worshiping their deity, under the representation of fire, should be desirous of having their dead bodies committed to that element wherein they suppose their Creator principally to reside ; but, contrary to this, and to the custom of all nations in the world, they neither burn or bury their dead, but cast them into the open air, to be exposed to the several elements, where they are soon devoured by the eagles, vultures, and other birds of prey. The principal they go upon is, that a living man, being compounded of all the elements, it is but reasonable, after he is dead, that every particular element should receive its own again."
What sub-type of article is it?
Religious Affairs
What keywords are associated?
Parjee Customs
Funeral Towers
Vultures
Bombay
Gentoo Beliefs
Sun Worship
Elements Exposure
Where did it happen?
Bombay
Foreign News Details
Primary Location
Bombay
Event Date
March 5, 1785
Event Details
Description of Parjee funeral towers on Malabar hill where bodies are exposed for vultures; observations on sun worship similar to Gentoo reverence for cows; contrast with Gentoo cremation and Parjee fire worship, yet exposure to elements based on belief in returning elements to nature.