In the somber Zoroastrian ritual known as sky burial, corpses are washed, wrapped in white cloth, and laid atop massive stone towers called dakhmas to avoid polluting sacred earth and fire. Vultures rapidly strip the flesh from exposed bodies, leaving bones to collect in a central pit. This 2,500-year-old practice persists in India and echoes its historical prevalence in Iran, ensuring elemental purity through natural excarnation.
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