Source: Times of India
Nauzer K Bharucha

Udvada Atash Behram, 1905.

BOMBAY — A land transaction in a tiny Gujarat village has caused concern among the Parsi-Irani community in Mumbai (بمبئی) as well as the Diaspora worldwide. About 200 km from the city is located Udvada, the community’s most important pilgrim spot: enthroned here is its oldest and holiest consecrated fire, the Iranshah, which has been looked after day and night by generations of priests for over 1,250 years.

Barely a short distance from the fire temple, a 200-acre agricultural land recently changed hands — insiders said for about Rs 40 crore (900 000 US$) — and the new owner plans to set up an industrial zone, raising fears of pollution and a threat to the sanctity of the fire temple. To a large extent, the economy of this village is driven by thousands of pilgrims visiting from across the globe. The developers who have bought the land have reportedly filed a caveat in the Gujarat high court, asking to be heard in case of litigation.

In Mumbai, where the largest number of Parsis reside, there has been much consternation over the past one month with community leaders and organisations, such as the Bombay Parsi Punchayat, galvanising a plan of action to stop any activity that may permanently damage the fabric of Udvada.

The few hundred community members in Delhi have sought an urgent meeting with the ministry of minority affairs to halt the destruction. The Udvada Samast Anjuman, which represents the local Parsi residents, recently wrote to Modi:

We request your urgent intervention to address a situation emerging at Udvada that is causing concern to members of the Parsi community worldwide. We have been given to understand that the tenure of a 200-acres plot situated directly behind our most sacred Iranshah Atashbehram (آتش بهرام) is in the process of being changed from agriculture to non-agricultural, after which it is proposed to be designated as an industrial estate […] If an industrial estate is allowed to be established it will completely destroy the sanctity of our sacred Iranshah Atashbehram […] Additionally , such a misadventure will create havoc with the environment at Udvada.

Afew years ago, there was a move to get Udvada enlisted as a Unesco World Heritage site, but some from the community protested against it on the grounds that it would turn Udvada into a “tourist destination” and they will have little say in the affairs of the fire temple.

However, conservation architect Pankaj Joshi, who has done research and documentation of Udvada, said some sort of heritage regulation in which “religious activity will dominate and given precedence” is required. «We are not talking about a Unesco listing that will lead to outside interference. But a local heritage protection law can be implemented with community leaders and priests as members of such a committee», he suggested.

An Atash Behram (“Fire of Victory”) is the highest grade of a fire that can be placed in a Zoroastrian fire temple. The establishment and consecration of this fire is the most elaborate than all the other grades of fire. It involves the gathering of 16 different types of fire which is fires gathered from 16 different sources, including lightning, fire from a cremation pyre, fire from trades where a furnace is operated, and fires from the hearths as is also the case for the Atash Adaran. Each of the 16 fires is then subject to a purification ritual before it joins the others. 32 priests are required for the consecration ceremony, which can take up to a year to complete. The Iranshah fire has been in Udvada since 1742. It was first consecrated in Sanjan and later moved to Vansda, Navsari, Surat and Bulsar before being enthroned in Udvada 268 years ago.