Now, Navsari Parsis switch to burials due to low vulture population

Traditionally, the community believes in the practice of Dokhmenashini — which refers to the act of disposing dead bodies by laying them out inside wells or ‘dakhmas’ in the sun for the scavenger birds. However, due to the decrease in the population of vultures, community members have been demanding alternate methods of disposal, like cremation and burial, for quite some time now.

Last week, over 160 Navsari Parsis had signed a letter demanding a burial ground or ‘aramgah’  for their dead since the traditional system was “faltering.” “We want the existing system to continue, but also have an alternative [system] for those who believe that the existing system has faltered,” a member of the Parsi community in Navsari said to The Hindu while refusing to be named.

The demand initially had not gone well with the community leaders. Dastur Dr. Feroze Kotwa, a high priest of the community, said it was unacceptable that instead of strengthening the traditional system, the community was seeking to “move away” from tradition, reports The Hindu.