Parsi Funeral: How different is the funeral process of Parsis from that of Hindus and Muslims?

India's famous businessman and industry veteran Ratan Tata died on Wednesday night at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. Ratan Tata was 86 years old and was ill for the last few days. His last rites will be performed today, i.e. on Thursday, at the Parsi crematorium in Worli. Ratan Tata was a member of the Parsi community.

Did you know that Parsis do not cremate their bodies like Hindus, nor do they bury them like Muslims and Christians? The tradition of Parsi funerals is 3000 years old. The crematorium of the Parsis is called 'Dakhma' or 'Tower of Silence', which is in the form of a circular hollow building.

When a person dies, the body is kept in the open in the 'Tower of Silence' after a process of purification. This process of Parsi funeral is called 'Dokhmenashini', in which the body is left in the sky so that it can be disposed of by the sun and carnivorous birds. Followers of Buddhism also perform similar funeral rites.

JRD Tata laid the foundation

In the 1980s, renowned industrialist JRD Tata founded the first prayer room for alternative funeral arrangements for Parsis in Mumbai. This prayer room provides both burial and cremation for Parsis.

When JRD Tata's brother BRD Tata passed away, he asked Mumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Jamshed Kanga which crematorium in Mumbai would be better for our brother's last rites. At that time some crematoriums were closed and some were in poor condition. To deal with this situation, a crematorium in Dadar was cleaned. But when Jamshed Kanga went there to console JRD Tata, he said that the facilities of Mumbai's crematorium should be better.

Establishment of crematorium in Worli

The Worli crematorium had ample space, which was convenient for the Parsis. Jamshed Kanga planned to build a prayer hall there. But he was transferred before he could start that project. Still, he did not give up on the mission. Together with influential Parsis in Mumbai, he launched a campaign called ' Disposal of the Dead with Dignity', demanding alternative cremation methods.

In 2015, a group built a crematorium for Parsis in Worli in collaboration with the municipality. Thus, with the demise of Ratan Tata, the Parsi community once again remembered their unique funeral tradition.

PC - REDIT