The corpse bearers then carry it out of the house on a metal bier (metal and stone do not absorb pollution, as wood does). Outside, the body is placed on a stone slab and a dog is brought to look on the face of the dead person, a ceremony known as sagdid. The dog both verifies death and drives away evil. Then the corpse bearers, followed by two priests and the mourners, carry the body to its final destination.
In Zoroastrianism, since death is the ultimate victory of Ahriman over life, a dead body represents a state of extreme pollution. It should not be allowed, therefore, to pollute the sacred elements: fire, water, air, or earth. The traditional way of disposing of a corpse in India and Iran has been the dakhma, or tower of silence. This is a circular stone building open at the top, usually set on a barren hill. The inside is arranged in three circles. The outer circle is for men, the middle for women, and the inner circle for children.
Only corpse handlers may enter the building. They carry the body to the building, pause outside for mourners to say their last goodbyes, and then take the body inside and place it on a stone slab, where it is left to be devoured by vultures. The mourners withdraw to pray and then return home, where they pray and ritually bathe to cleanse themselves of the pollution of death. Throughout the following year the family offers appropriate prayers for the dead.
In recent times Zoroastrians have had to find other methods of disposing of their dead. Dakhmas are now in use mainly in parts of western India, where the custom was established before the 1800s. The most traditional Zoroastrians around the world may return their dead to their home country, where they can be placed in a dakhma. Newer Parsi communities in India now have burial grounds and Iranian Zoroastrians now use burial as well. Zoroastrians in other parts of the world may also use modern methods of cremation. Today’s Zoroastrians reason that the prayers and rituals surrounding death are more important than the disposal of the body, so the least polluting method is considered appropriate.
Kermanshah Province, the Kingdom of Khosrow Parviz and Ahuramazda
