________________
312
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[NOVEMBER, 1877.
the corpse-bearers from the exterior, and which from the nature of their occupation are supposed must face the east, to catch the rays of the to contract impurity, and are not associated rising sun. In the outermost circle of the stone with by the rest of the community. They are, coffins, which stands for good deeds,' are placed i however, well cared for and well paid. the bodies of males; in the middle, symbolizing | After the bearers, at an interval of a few * good words,' those of females; in the inner and yards, followed a man leading a white dog, and smallest circle, nearest the well, representing behind him a long procession of at least a * good thoughts,' those of children. Each tower hundred priests in their long robes of spotless is consecrated with solemn religious ceremonies, white, besides relations of the deceased, also and after its consecration no one, except the in white garments, walking in pairs, each corpse-bearers--not even a high priest-is al- couple following closely on the other, and each lowed to enter.
man connected with his fellow by a handkerOn the occasion of my second visit I was chief held between them in token of sympathy accompanied, as before, by the courteous Secre- and fellow-feelingThe procession advanced tary of the Parsi Panchayat, and was permitted to a point about thirty yards distant from the to witness the funeral of a Mobed, or one of portal of the largest tower. There it stood the second order of priests, whose flowing white still for a minute while the dog was brought costumes (supposed to be emblematical of pu- towards the corpse, made to look at the features rity) are everywhere conspicuous in the Bom- of the dead man, and then fed with bread. This bay streets. I may here mention parentheti- part of the ceremony is called sag.did. Meancally that I believe the word Mobed is merely while all who followed the bier turned round, a corruption of a Zand word equivalent to and walked back to the sagri, or house of prayer Sanskrit Maga-pati, chief of tho Magians. containing a fire-sanctuary, which is erected Dastur, the name of the high-priest, is a near the entrance to the garden. There they modern Persian word, the best equivalent for chanted prayers while the corpse-bearers enter. which would perhaps be chief ruler.' Theed the tower with the dead body, and exposed lowest order of priests, named Herbad, are it naked in one of the receptacles on the stone little better than menials, and are not allowed platform. Their appointed task being then to officiate at ceremonies. In the Zand-Avasta completed, they instantly quitted the tower, the whole priestly class are called A thra van and were seen to repair to a reservoir of water
(in Pazand Athornan). In the present day near at hand, where they went through a prothe rest of the community--the laymen in fact, cess of thorough ablution, changing all their who are neither Dasturs nor Mobeds nor Her- clothes, and depositing the cast off garments in bads-are styled Reha din or Behdin, that an open stone pit, almost hidden from view, on is, followers of the best religion.'
one side of the garden. I reached the garden surrounding the towers It is noteworthy that the fire-sanctuary of about half an hour before sunset. At that the sagri has a window or aperture so arranged time the faneral procession was already winding that when the sacred fire is fed with sandal up the hill. The deceased man had died early | wood fuel by the veiled priest, just before the in the morning, and a rule of the Pårsî religion corpse-bearers enter the tower, a ray from the requires that no corpse shall be exposed on the flame may be projected over the dead body at platform of the towers, to be consumed by birds the moment of its exposure. The theory is of prey, unless the rays of the sun can first fall that the light of the sun and the light of the on it. Foremost in the procession walked a man sacred fire ought to consecrate the mortal recarrying a loaf or two of bread wrapped up in a mains of the deceased before they are consumed cloth. Then came the bier, which was flat and by the birds. There is, at any rate, some poetimade of iron bars, having the body of the decal if not true religious sentiment in this hypoceased stretched out upon it, covered only with a thesis, and the bereaved relations appear to derive white sheet, and borne by four bearers, followed. consolation from it; but whether the position of by two assistants. These corpse-bearers are the sun and fire made this double consecration called Nasasalár. They are, of course, Parsis, but' possible is doubtful. To us spectators on the
• In the case of a child it is a curved metal trough.
