Mumbai: Red-Painted Stones At Parsi Tower Of Silence Spark Concerns Over Pet Burial, Lack Of Civic Rules

Mumbai, September 9, 2026: A circle of stones smeared with red paint at the Parsi Tower of Silence in Malabar Hill has raised concerns among residents about the burial of animals within the cemetery and whether such burials are being conducted in accordance with appropriate safeguards.

Families living in Godrej Baug, the Parsi residential colony on Nepean Sea Road, use a pathway through the wooded cemetery to reach Kemps Corner. A resident of the colony recently noticed the stones while walking home and initially suspected that they might be associated with occult or black magic rituals.

“When I saw the red colour, I suspected black magic rites. I later found out that the stones were markers for an animal grave,” the resident said. The person also questioned whether the animal had been buried at an adequate depth and whether appropriate precautions had been taken to ensure the hygienic disposal of the remains.

Pet Burials At Doongerwadi

Animal burials are not uncommon at the cemetery, known as Doongerwadi among Parsi-Zoroastrians. There have been periodic reports of pet graves being marked with temporary memorials.

A former cemetery staff member said the latest case also involved a pet dog. “We have officially allowed such burials. In this case, the stones were painted, which raised some suspicions,” the former employee said.

Dr Kalim Pasha Pathan, a veterinarian and general manager at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Deonar abattoir, which houses a pet crematorium, said there are currently no specific municipal regulations governing the burial or disposal of the remains of dead animals.

No Specific Municipal Regulations

“The BMC has now set up crematoriums for animals at Mahalaxmi, Deonar and Malad. The SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) also has a pet crematorium at Parel. Earlier, when such facilities were not available, pets were buried in human cemeteries. There are no rules; it is up to the cemetery management to decide whether it wants to allow such burials,” Pathan said.

Adil Malia, a trustee of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP), which manages the Malabar Hill cemetery, said Zoroastrian tradition accords dogs special respect as vigilant protectors and beneficent creatures. "Dogs also appear as guardians of the Chinvat Bridge, which the soul encounters after death," said Malia, who described a ceremony called Sagdid, which means 'the sight or gaze of a dog' when the animal is brought to look at the deceased as part of the Zoroastrian funeral rites before the body is placed in the Dakhma or Tower.

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"The principal purpose is spiritual protection and ritual purification. In traditional Zoroastrian belief, death brings Druj-i-Nasu—the evil influence associated with decay and the pollution of a corpse. The dog’s gaze is believed to repel this influence. This concerns the condition of the body after death, not the moral worth of the deceased," Malia added.

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