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Zoroastrian
fire temples were initially built during the early Achaemenian
period. By the end of that dynasty the three types of fires,
Atash Behram, Atash Adaran and Atash Dadgah, had a recognized
place in Zoroastrian society. During the Parthian period 248
BCE to 224 CE the three great fires of Zoroastrianism, Adur
Farnbag, Adur Gushnasp and Adur Burzen Mihr, were installed.
Over
the years, these great fires, as well as others were moved
to various places or co-joined with one another and it is
impossible to trace their whereabouts through the centuries.
Most of the fire-temples were destroyed through successive
conquests of Iran by Arabs, Turks and Mongols.
More
than a hundred years afer the defeat of the last Sassanian
King, Yazdagird III, by the Arabs, a group of Zoroastrians
from the Iranian province of Khorasan (ancient Parthia) decided
to leave Iran because of religious persecution. They made
their way south, to the port of Hormuzd on the Persian Gulf,
where eventually they secured a ship to take them overseas.
They sailed from Iran and landed on an island known today
as Diu, near the west coast of India. They lived on that Island
for 19 years, after which, they set sail once again to reach
mainland India. At sea, they got caught in a fierce storm
and they prayed for divine help. They promised to build an
Atash Behram if Behram, the Yazata of Victory, saved them
from the ferocious storm. Their wish came true and they landed
safely in Gujarat, the west coast province of India. The Hindu
King Jadav Rana of that time, 936 CE, granted them refuge
in his kingdom. He gave them fertile land to live on and the
Zoroastrian pilgrims called their new abode Sanjan, in memory
of the place they originally came from in north-west Khorasan.
These Zoroastrian immigrants came to be known as the Parsees.
Within
a hundred years of their arrival in India, the Parsees fulfilled
their promise and consecrated a fire temple in Sanjan in honor
of Behram Yazata. Contrary to popular belief, no consecrated
fire has ever been brought from Iran, only the ash, alat and
nirang were brought to maintain ritual continuity.
HISTORY
OF FIRE TEMPLES IN INDIA
The
Sanjan Atash Behram was the first sacred fire of the Parsees
in India. Three hundred years after it was installed, Sanjan
was invaded by Muslims, but the Sanjana priests managed to
rescue the Atash Behram and carried it about 14 miles from
Sanjan to a cave on an isolated hill named Bahrot,. Here,
protected by jungle and sea, they guarded it for the next
12 years, and then when conditions were quieter, they took
it to Bansda, a little town some 50 miles inland, where it
remained for two years. During this time, the fire was kept
in a metal vase so that it could be transported easily and
the tradition of enthroning a sacred fire on a stone altar
was broken. The Atash Behram was for some years without a
fixed abode until Changa Asa, a layman from Navsari, came
to Bansda to pay homage to the fire. On his return he proposed
to the Bhagarias, a group of Parsees living in and around
Navsari, that they should invite the Sanjana priests to bring
the sacred fire to Navsari. The Bhagarias sent the invitation
which the Sanjanas accepted and the fire was safely installed
in Navsari. Ever since the establishment of the community's
sacred fire in Navsari, the town became the center of Parsi
religious life and the Bhagarias and Sanjanas lived together
harmoniously. The Sanjana priests tended the fire and supported
themselves from the offerings made to their fire, while the
Bhagaria priests performed all other rituals and ceremonies
for the Zoroastrian laity of Navsari. The first Dar-i-Mihr
was founded in Navsari in the early 12th century.
In
1572 CE Emperor Akbar of the Mogul Dynasty of India took over
Gujarat. He was a wise Emperor who was interested in the various
religions of his subjects and he held a religious discussion
at his court. Meherji Rana, a learned Bhagaria priest, was
selected by the Zoroastrians to represent their community.
He impressed the Emperor so favorably, that Akbar ordered
that the sacred fire be kept burning at his court day and
night, according to the custom of the ancient Persian Kings.
The Jizyad (a tax imposed on all non-muslims) was also abolished
for the Parsees.
As
Navsari prospered, the Parsi community grew and the Sanjanas
began to encroach on the Bhagaria's rights to perform all
ceremonies. Friction between the two groups increased and
led to a law suit before a Hindu court which gave a decree
that the Sanjanas must keep to their original agreement to
serve the fire only. The Sanjanas decided that they would
rather leave Navsari and in 1741 did so, taking the Atash
Behram with them. A year later they installed it in a new
temple at the village of Udwada, where it burns to this day.
The
removal of the sacred fire distressed the Bhagarias and they
resolved to consecrate an Atash Behram of their own in Navsari.
With the help from the Parsi community and the priests of
Surat, a new Atash Behram was enthroned in 1765. The Sanjanas
were naturally a little jealous of this new Atash Behram,
for it became a rival to their own 800 year old fire. They
feared that fewer pilgrims would now come to remote Udwada,
and so they evolved a legend to enhance its dignity. They
created the new word "Iranshah" for it and humors were spread
that the first Parsi settlers had brought it with them from
Iran and it was somehow linked to the Xhavarenah of the ancient
Kings of Persia. This legend is widely believed among the
Parsees who continue loyally to make the pilgrimage to this
day.
ln
the eighteenth century, Surat became an important port of
trade and commerce and during the next century and a half
it was the largest center of Zoroastrian population in the
world. The earliest consecrated Adaran fire was founded in
Siganpur, not far from Surat, by Lovji Wadia, (shipbuilder)
in the later half of the eighteenth century and another one
was founded in Surat proper in 1771 CE. An Atash Behram was
installed in Surat in 1823 CE.
Meanwhile,
Bombay became a British possession in 1661 and the East India
Company set out to make it the most flourishing port of India.
This brought in a steady flow of Parsi settlers and Dar-i-Mihrs
were established in 1672 by Hirji Waccha and in 1709 by Banaji
Limji and the second Adaran of India was founded in 1735 by
Maneckji Seth.
Between
the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, more than 50 Adarans
were established in India as far a Karachi (1848) and Calcutta
(1839).
Today
there are eight Atash Behrams in India:
The
first two and the last Atash Behrams listed above are called
Anjuman, meaning society, because they were built from donations
made by various Zoroastrians. All others were entirely financed
by private donations made by the respective families . Shenshai
and Kadmi are the different calendars followed by the Zoroastrians.
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