Tower Of Silence

19 January 2003- Indian officials ventured into deep jungle investing
several missing persons reports from a nearby city. What they found was a “Tower
of Silence
,” or dakhma. Zoroastrians use these sites to dispose of bodies in
the open air. While sites like these are not uncommon in certain parts of India,
several peculiarities hint of something more unusual :-    
  • None of the bodies depicted in the photograph were
    identified. Villagers from nearby, who were initially surprised at the sheer
    number  of corpses in the dakhma , proved
    unable to recognize the bodies. The corpses also do not match the descriptions of
    the missing people. 

  • There were no animal expect for maggots and files.
    Zoroastrians rely on birds such as buzzards to dispose of the bodies in the
    belief they are contributing back to the Earth. Officials found the corpses
    relatively untouched by any sort of animal.

  • There is no official count of the bodies. In fact, little
    work was actually accomplished at the site, and perhaps this is the reason only
    one photograph has emerged. Officials avoided the spot not only because they
    felt uneasy looking at it, but for the following as well:
  • The deep pit in the center of the photograph was filled with
    several feet of festering blood, Far more than the bodies on the outside could
    ever supply. The stench was so unbearable many of the officials began to get
    nauseous when they first approached the dakhma. The expedition was ended when a
    villager accidentally kicked a small bone into the pit, penetrating the coagulated
    surface of the pool. A massive burst of gas from the decomposing blood erupted
    from the pit, splashing those looking into it, along with the photographer.

Those caught in the explosion were immediately sent to the
hospital where they were quarantined for possible infection. They became
delirious with fever, shouting about “being tainted with the blood of Ahriman (The
personification of evil in Zoroastrianism)” despite never having admitted they
had any familiarity with the religion. In fact, many of them had no idea what
the dakhma was when they had found it. Delirium turned to insanity as many
began to attack hospital staff until they were sedated, The Fever eventually
killed of them.

When officials returned with HAZMAT gear the following day,
the site was empty . All the bodies had been removed and astonishing, the pool
of blood in pit had been drained. All that remained of the incident was the
photograph. 

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