Google Earth Community: THE PARSEES & THE FIRE TEMPLE AT UDVADA, India.

A Zoroastrian priest in the sanctum, tending the sacred fire in a Fire Temple, a white linen cloths-piece covers his mouth to prevent his breath "polluting" the sacred fire.(This is not the Udvada temple.) This fully ordained/trained priest has to undergo additional rigorous "self-purification" ritual before he enters the sanctum of this the highest grade of Fire Temple, the Atarsh Bahram. Thus a 'team' of priests who have undergone the purification, remain in the temple premises for around 12/15 days, then 'return' home when the next group of priests take over after their self-purification ritual; the ritual includes constant prayers in a secluded enclosure next to the temple building, but no conversing with anyone, simple food eaten sitting on a bare stone, all this after a bath over the body, first covered with earth, to indicate renunciation, and then a heightened state of purity by prayers!!! (The devout hand over pieces of sandalwood to this priest at the sanctum entrance seen in the picture.) The bell in the right corner is rung five times a day, at the start of each of the five spiritual divisions of the day. It is rung in measured strikes, one at a time, like the chiming of the clock at the hour, and is rung to ward of any evil/negatives, and synchronized with certain chants by the officiating priest. At this time, the change of the day, a "throne-seat" of sandalwood wood pieces is placed on the fire as symbol of the seating place of the Archangel of Fire, Asha Vahista (Best Righteousness.) Zoroastrians consider this a great act of merit to fund the cost of wood being so offered.

go to the complete list of Zoroastrian scriptures and other writings here

Zoroastrians paying their reverence to a life size portrait of Zarathustra in a temple. Portraits of the Prophet and great Priests and respected community leaders and the sponsor-founder of the temple are always found in an outer great hall, never in the main prayer room surrounding the inner sanctum where the sacred flame burns.

The Iranshah Fire Temple at Udvada, Gujrat,India. Udvada is a small quaint and quiet town on the sea coast of south-western- Gujrat, with ozone fresh sea breeze at high tide and small quaint hotels for the pilgrims, and priests' simple homes around the Temple. The sacred fire here was kindled in around 750 or 950 A.D.(in a place to the south of Udvada, called Sanjan, and finally brought here in the 18th century.) and being fire "of the highest grade" comprised from 16 fires, from natural lightening 'caught' as a live burning ember of wood/tree and handed over to the waiting priests(this may take months/years to happen), to fires from priest's household, and from fires used by a potter, a mason, a smithy,a cobbler, a saddler y and other traditional professions using fire as a tool. (Obviously, as no profession now use fire in the modern age, the last sacred fire was kindled towards the end of the 19th century!!!). These fires are first ritually purified separately by long elaborate rituals of holding wood in a laddle over these fires several times, as prescribed, accompanied with prayers; then the "purified" fires are brought together and after more prayers said over the flame,enthroned in the sanctum. The idea is that we humans are returning to God his sacred creation which we have used for our purposes. More important, the sacred FLAME IS THE SYMBOL OF THE WORSHIP OF GOD, AHURA MAZDA, just AS THE HOLY CROSS IS A SYMBOL OF WORSHIP IN CHRISTIANITY.

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[/image] Udvada village, most of the houses you see are more than a 100 years old, and mainly homes of Parsi priests. This narrow village road leads to the Temple.

ZARATHUSTRA, ZOROASTER TO THE GREEKS. (est. to have lived between:1500B.C. or 1100B.C., some dates at 600 B. C.).There is no certainty on when he lived but his very personal, poetic, astoundingly complex, metrical verses,composed by him, the Gathas, that survived, passed down by memorizing from father to son, and that can be transliterated word by word into the other Indo-European , the Vedic dialect, points to the certainity that he lived close to the Indian Aryans(Indo-Europeans) when they were composing the Vedas, the oldest literature of Hinduism. The Gathas are a very small body of verses but form the central core of the Avesta, sacred scriptures of the Zoroastrians.

Ervad Dastur Kavasji Edulji Kanga, a venerable priest and scholar of Zoroastrianism, responsible for translations of Avesta texts; typically a pious and learned priest in the nineteenth century. Here he is pictured in the book of common prayer the Khordeh Avesta, a wide selection from Avesta scriptures from much earlier times, put together around the 3rd century A. D. After their migration to India the Zoroastrians adopted Gujrati(a descendant of Vedic languages spoken in western India) as their daily language and priests such as Dastur Kanga brought out the Avesta in the Avestic language but in the Gujrati script to make Zoroastrians 'literate' in their scriptures. (now, the scriptures in the Avesta language are also available in the English script- a marvel of adaptability!)

Zoroastrian Priests - 19th century, extreme left seated with a staff in his hand is venerable High Priest Dastur Kumana who consecrated several sacred fires in his time.

Zoroastrian priests, (the Magi of Bible fame,) on the right is High Priest of the Mumbai Wadia Fire Temple, Dastur Dr. Firoze Kotwal speaking to another priest.

On the right is High Priest of the Anjuman(all-Community [funded]) Fire Temple in Mumbai, Dastur Dr. JamaspAsana exchanging a gift with a Parsee gentleman. Both are dressed in the traditional priestly and traditional layman attire.

On the extreme left seated is Jamsetjee Tata, father of India's Industrial Growth, he established India's first steel manufacturing complex, and the first 5 star hotel, a large textile manufacturing factory and other companies, all in the first decade of the 20th century, that would grow to become India's largest industrial group. He is with his two sons, Sir Dorab and Sir Ratan Tata and his cousin Jehangir Tata.

Mr Ratan Tata, standing, presently the Chairman of the Tata Group. He pioneered the first fully Indian made hatchback, and mid size sedan cars, the Indica and Indigo brands. India's largest computer software company- Tata Consultancy Services and other modern industries. Recently, he has launched a peoples' car at Rs 1,20,000 (US$ 3000.00 !!!) Seated at his side is the late J.R.D. Tata, who Ratan Tata succeeded as Chairman; J.R.D. founded Tata Airlines that became Air India. : www.gibsreview.co.za/home.asp?pid=11&toolid=2... (Mr Ratan Tata is a great grand nephew of Jamsetjee Tata and not to be confused with Sir Ratan Tata, Jamsetjee's son shown in photo above this photo.) see www.tata.com

The Jashan ceremony (a thanksgiving for a new home or new venture-business, job; or to commemorate a sacred day or in memory of a departed person) officiated by High Priests, in this picture seated left of centre with a white-silver honour shawl around his shoulder and the other High Priest standing with a red shawl (upper body torso out of the picture as he is standing.) The Jashan is symbolic Act Of Creation by Ahura Mazda, with the High Priest (only one of the two in this ceremony in above picture will be the officiating priest)representing Ahura Mazda, the other priest reps. humans receiving God's bounty, the fruits/flowers reps. the vegetation world, the sacred flame reps. the Universe and Fire, a stone mortar vessel [not seen in this pic.] reps. the Earth and metal kingdom, and a glass of milk and bowl of water reps. the animal kingdom and water creation respectively. The chief priest intones aloud sacred verses from the holy scriptures, the Avesta, and invokes names of Ahura Mazda, the Archangels and Angels, name of Zarathustra and his ancestors, names of the past great priests,and names of the ancestors of the sponsor of the ceremony. The sacred flame is 'returned' to the main fire in the sanctum or if the ceremony is held in a home, the flame is added to the kitchen hearth in older traditional homes, or allowed to go out on its own in a modern home!!!

A Parsee wedding, the couple exchanging rings; the wedding is always performed by two priests facing the couple, and two witnesses stand behind the couple.

A Navjote ceremony. a child between 7 years to 11 years is initiated into the religion by being invested with a sacred shirt and sacred chord tied around the waist- to be worn as symbols of being a Zoroastrian. The shirt has a "pocket" in the neckline where "all good deeds are deposited" as a record to be seen by Angels after death to allow entry into heaven!!! The sacred chord is woven from 72 wool strands symbolizing the 72 chapters of the main Avesta prayers, the Yasna. Here, the High Priest Jamasp-Asana, blessing a child during the ceremony. Notice the initiate child is garlanded and holding a coconut in his hand, adoptions of Hindu customs after migrating to India.

A Parsi couple with their child walking towards the entrance of a Fire Temple in Mumbai. Heads have to be covered in a temple with a prayer cap by men, and scarf or cap or part of the Indian sari by women.

Udvada, a small town, north of the previous Portuguese territory of Daman, on the west coast of India, north of Mumbai/Bombay,and in the southern part of Gujarat State, is home to the foremost Zoroastrian Fire Temple,The Iranshah Fire Temple.......

the Zoroastrians known as Parsees, are the descendants of Zoroastrian-Iranian settlers who moved to India in the 9th/10th century A.D.to preserve their ancient faith from the ongoing Islamisation of Iran-a sad and tragic period for them.)

The sacred fire was kindled in around 950 A.D. and as per their religious custom has never been allowed to go out and will continue to burn,attended by priests(the magi of the Bible fame) until the Parsis survive as a people.(They reached a peak in numbers in around 1940s at 1,40,000 and are presently around 1,00,000-as a highly educated community with a very low birth-rate.)

Dadabhoy Naoroji, Grand Old Man of India.

Famous Parsees include Freddie Mercury, of the Queen band, and Zubin Mehta, music conductor of some of the world's leading orchestras, including those of Montreal, Los Angeles, New York, Florence, Isreal, Vienna, Berlin and presently Director of the Bavarian State Opera and isreal Philharmonic.

The largest industrial organisation, the Tatas, founded by the 'father of Indian Industry,' Jamsetjee Tata, Air India, founded by his descendant J. R. D. Tata, household names in India, are Parsees.
Dadabhoy Naorojee, the first Indian member of the British Parliament and who declared that India be given independence as far back as the 1890s, Homi Bhabha, India's first nuclear scientist, Nani Palkhivala an outstanding lawyer, Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, the first Indian Baronet and a great philanthropist, and the families of the Cowasjee-Jehangir, Petits,and Godrej and others who brought great merit to this small community by their enterprises, are other famous Parsees. The first Indian to be made a Field Marshall- Field Marshall Maneckshaw is perhaps the most outstanding Indian soldier.

Some of the well known institutions in India, the Tata Institute Of Fundamental Research, the Tata Trusts for scholarships, the Tata Memorial Hospital for treatment of cancer, the Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy Hospital, the Bombay Prince of Wales Museum and the Jehangir Art Gallery, the Wadia Colleges at Pune, and more schools and colleges and scholarship trusts all over India and abroad are founded by Parsis. Indian students deserving of scholarships to study in India and abroad are supported by funds and some of these merit graduates continue to contribute in their fields of work, especially in science, space technology, engineering and the arts.

Zarathustra, prophet and founder of the faith known in the West as Zoroastrianism, but as Mazdayasna Din (worship of Mazda,Din -religion); he lived around 1500 B.C., taught that a great cosmic and human struggle between good and evil will eventually lead to the total destruction of evil, brought about by a World Saviour, beliefs that passed on to the Jews, when they were freed from Babylonian captivity by Cyrus the Great, the most revered heroic figure for the Zoroastrians. Cyrus is reverently addressed as "anointed of the Lord" in the Bible, anointed meaning Saviour!!!

See google search>>>Zoroastrianism, or google search>>>>Parsees.
Complete Zoroastrian literature see Avesta.org.

The sacred fire, now at Udvada, was kindled in a place south of Udvada and Daman, called Sanjan, and was brought to Udvada in the 18th century. Sanjan is named after a place in north-west Iran, Sanzan, more properly called Hanjammana/Sanjammana, meaning meeting place; this indicating the Zorastrians met here in India and settled down.
The Parsi diaspora find them in the U.S.A. and Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Irani Zoroastrians, those who remained Zoroastrians in Iran, are a larger group(?) but a larger diaspora, especially to the USA.

Zoroastrianism has four Great Prayers, these leading to the triad of GOOD THOUGHTS, GOOD WORDS and GOOD DEEDS, and these are:
1:
Just as the Lord is all-powerfull, so the Teacher,
by his store of righteousness;
the gifts of Pure Mind are (received) by deeds done for the (Lord)
Wisdom,
and, the Kingdom of the Lord is for him who helps the meek!

2:
Righteousness is the highest good, it is the illumination;
Illumination comes to those who are
righteous for the sake of righteousness alone!!!

3:
Him indeed, of those that are, who in every act of worship,
the Lord God knoweth to be of higher worth,
by reason of their righteousness, also the women whom He
knoweth likewise,
all such both men and women do we revere!

4:
Ideal is the thought, ideal the word, ideal the deed of Holy
Zarathustra.
May the Holy Immortals accept his words, the Gathas
Salutations unto Ye, O sacred Gathas.
(The Gathas, 17 great hymns, are the prophet's own words, memorized by generations of the Magi, and form the central core of Zoroastrian sacred literature, the Avesta.)
It is these Gathas that can also be understood by slight change in the pronounciation of words into the Vedic dialect of the Indian Aryans (Indo-Europeans).

Although there has been considerable debate whether this religion, is the first monotheistic religion, this is not important, ..................what is, instead, unexampled, are its unique principles now being "discovered" by scholars..................... its principles of freedom of choice, given to every human being, to be excercised intelligently, rather than faith or blind submission; its perceptions of God as a pure Being incapable of harm as opposed to other angry Gods and visions of impeding doom; its great reverence for all the elements of nature; its understanding of evil as personalized as the Hostile Ignorant "Mind" that will be eventually destroyed, its destruction ensured by its very nature(!!!) ; its perceptions of night being the absence of light, equally evil the absence of good, its insistence that Righteousness and righteous living in this world leads to illumination stand out as unexampled steps in the evolution of man's beliefs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_temple http://www3.sympatico.ca/zoroastrian/fire-temple.html
http://www.zagny.org/images/atashbehram/index.html
google>>>search>>>Zoroastrianism google>>>search>>>>Parsees
see my other posts on Zoroastrian related sites.
My very sincere thanks to the owners of the photos reproduced here including those that have withdrawn their photos-this is the encouragement one gets to try any sincere effort to project Zoroastrianism to the world, however insignificant that attempt might be.

geveN.
(I have used both Parsee and Parsi terms for easy engine searches.
visit my blog: http://geveandeveryotherthing.blogspot.com/

Edited by geveN (06/26/08 10:16 PM)