The Pluralism Project at Harvard University

Kent Patten

Arizona State University
Zoroastrian Funerary Rites in Houston, Texas

Traditionally, Zoroastrian funerary rites have involved the use of large towers, or dakhma, upon which dead bodies are placed and exposed to the light of the sun and scavengers, particularly vultures.[1]  However, the use of the traditional practice has become impossible for many contemporary Zoroastrian communities worldwide. Many Zoroastrian communities now use cremation or burial, both of which are expressly prohibited in the Zoroastrian scripture, the Avesta.

I will conduct an ethnographic survey of the Zoroastrian community in Houston, gathering data on attitudes toward the traditional funerary methods (i.e. the dakhma) versus more contemporary methods (e.g. cremation or burial).  I will also investigate how the community views the use cremation or burial in light of the scriptural prohibition against them. 

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[1] Boyce, Mary. Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices.  Routledge, Kegan, and Paul: London, 1979. Pg 157-158.