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A Tower of Silence or Dakhma is a circular, raised structure used by Zoroastrians for exposure of the dead. There is no standard technical name for such a construction. The common <i>dakhma</i> or <i>dokhma</i> (from Middle Persian <i>dakhmag</i>) originally denoted any place for the dead. Similarly, in the medieval texts of Zoroastrian tradition, the word astodan appears, but today denotes an ossuary.<br/><br/> In the Iranian provinces of Yazd and Kerman, the technical term is <i>deme</i> or <i>dema</i>. In India, the term <i>doongerwadi</i> came into use after a tower was constructed on a hill of that name. The word <i>dagdah</i> appears in the texts of both India and Iran but, in 20th century India, signified the lowest grade of temple fire (cf. Fire temple). The term 'Tower of Silence' is a neologism attributed to one Robert Murphy, who, in 1832, was a translator of the British colonial government in India.
Zoroaster (Old Persian: Zarathustra, in modern Persian Zardosht) is generally thought to have lived about the 11th or 10th century BCE. Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of Zoroaster as prophet. The term Zoroastrianism is, in general usage, essentially synonymous with Mazdaism (the worship of Ahura Mazda, exalted by Zoroaster as the supreme divine authority).<br/><br/> In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil originates from Him. Thus, in Zoroastrianism good and evil have distinct sources, with evil (druj) trying to destroy the creation of Mazda (asha), and good trying to sustain it. In some form, it served as the national- or state religion of a significant portion of the Iranian people for many centuries.
Zoroaster (Old Persian: Zarathustra, in modern Persian Zardosht) is generally thought to have lived about the 11th or 10th century BCE. Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of Zoroaster as prophet. The term Zoroastrianism is, in general usage, essentially synonymous with Mazdaism (the worship of Ahura Mazda, exalted by Zoroaster as the supreme divine authority).<br/><br/> In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil originates from Him. Thus, in Zoroastrianism good and evil have distinct sources, with evil (druj) trying to destroy the creation of Mazda (asha), and good trying to sustain it. In some form, it served as the national- or state religion of a significant portion of the Iranian people for many centuries.