312 A Journey from Bombay to Jeypore. [Sess. 



in a minute more we found oui'selves at a large iron gate, 

 and were told that we would now have to leave the carriage, 

 as we were about to enter the grounds connected with the 

 Towers of Silence. Passing through the gateway, we found we 

 were on the upper part of a long causewayed road leading from 

 the valley below, with many fliglits of steps on the way up. 

 Below us this approach to the top of the hill was a beautiful 

 shady walk, as the foliage of the trees met overhead. We 

 were told we must ascend, and, gasping as we were without 

 any exertion, it did not improve our sensations having now to 

 go in for a climb up several long flights of steps. As there 

 was no way of evading the difficulty, we had just to face it, 

 and in a short time found ourselves at another gate, where an 

 official met us and examined our pass. As it was in order, 

 he called one of the attendants, who took us round and told 

 us the limits beyond which no persons except the nasasalar, 

 or official corpse-bearers, are allowed to go. Our guide first 

 took us to the three sagris, or houses of prayer, the principal 

 of which contains the sacred fire, which is fed day and night 

 with incense and fragrant sandal- wood, and never extinguished. 

 The three sagris are close to each other, and in them we saw 

 several priests engaged in prayer. We were next taken to a 

 place in the grounds where there is erected a small model of 

 one of the towers, so that visitors may understand the internal 

 structure of these buildings, as no one is allowed to enter 

 their precincts, — not even Parsees, but only the corpse-bearers 

 already referred to. Having examined the model — a duplicate 

 of which, I think, is in the Museum of Science and Art, or at 

 least in South Kensington — we went forward until near the 

 first of the towers. Great numbers of vultures were sitting 

 round the circular wall, and as we approached a few made a 

 slight movement ; but seeing there was no funeral, they imme- 

 diately relapsed into a kind of torpid state, and seemed fixed 

 like a horrid vision before our eyes. The scene at the other 

 four circular towers and the one square tower was much the 

 same, only the square tower seemed least in favour, owing, no 

 doubt, to its being seldom used. It stands apart from the 

 rest, and is for the purpose of disposing of the bodies of per- 

 sons who have suffered death for heinous crimes. One at 

 least, and perhaps both, of the smaller circular towers belong 



