by Stiv » Fri Nov 19, 2004 5:12 pm
Yorick,
not saying I didn't think what you wrote may not be true, I was just curious where the story came from. Look, Tibetan Buddhist made drinking cerimonial cups from human sculls I've seen them in museums here in town. They also weave human bones into ceramonial robes and make jewlery from them too. There's lots a variations on a theme with regards to almost any belief system.
Essentally the "Wheels of silence" are tables placed on poles off the ground where the remains of the dead are placed to be picked clean by vultures and what have you, mostly vultures though. Then I'm pretty sure the bones are buried or cremated, as Zorastrians are into the fire thing I'm pretty sure it's the latter. They put the wheels in pretty remote places and are pretty vigilant in regards to the privacy of the dead. Down near the southern part of Bombay they have a park like area sealed off just for this ritual. You can't go in but if you get to higher ground or a building you can get a small glimps of them. We used a 300mm camera lens. The pictures didn't come out so hot cause of motion. It's easier to go into one of the few temples Bombay has where the keep an eternal flame lit. Just make a donation.
Bombay has one of the more sizable populations of Zorastrians as many left Iran after the Islamic revolution but also just through trade and immagration. There's still some in Iran but they get treated like the ugly step child. Not too sure but I think they're more near Shiraz in the south.
Best,
Stiv