Udvada

Udvada is a town in Gujarat, renowned for the "Iranshah Ātash Bahrām", the oldest and most famous of the Parsi (Zoroastrian) Fire Temples.

Location

Udvada is a coastal town 200 km north of Mumbai, around 8 km off the national highway, NH8. Trains ply from Mumbai to Udvada, including the "Gujarat Express", the "Ferozepur Janta Express" and "Saurashtra Express". Udvada means the 'grazing ground of camels', which it was before it became a fishing village.

The Ātash Bahrām

The importance of Udvada in Parsi history and religion centres around the "Ātash Bahrām" (Middle Persian for the "Victorious Fire", the highest grade of ritual fire of the Zoroastrians) housed in the Agiary (Fire Temple) there. Known today as the "Iranshah", it is the most sacred of the Zoroastrian Fire Temples in India and the oldest continuously burning "Ātash Bahrām" in the world. The "Iranshah" is one of eight "Ātash Bahrām"s in India, four of which are in Mumbai, two in Surat and one in Navsari.

History

Subsequent to the fall of the Persian Sassanid Empire, many Zoroastrians fled to other regions in the hope of preserving their religious tradition. According to the Qissa-i Sanjan (Story of Sanjan), some Zoroastrians were granted conditional asylum by a Gujarati ruler Jadi Rana. The refugees founded the settlement of Sanjan some time in the 8th or 10th century. According to legend, they had carried with them an urn with ash from a sacred fire, which a priest Nairyosang Dhaval is said to have used for the bed of the Sanjan fire when it was consecrated in 721 CE (date disputed). A related legend recounts that this fire was consecrated as modern Ātash Bahrām fires are, that is, out of 16 fires, including that of a funeral pyre, a shepherd's hearth, a goldsmith's hearth, a potter's kiln and from a fire caused by lightning.ref_label|Desai|1|none

Some centuries after their arrival (probably in the late 14th century), Sanjan was attacked by troops of the Delhi Sultanate (possibly those of Muhammad bin Tughluqref_label|Balaram|2|none) and the Parsis fled again, into caves in the nearby Barhot hills, 14 km south of Sanjan. The sacred fire went with them. Several years later it was installed in Navsari. In the 18th century, a decision was made to return the flame to Sanjan, but along the way, the priests preferred to remain in Udvada, where the fire temple was consecrated in 1742. ref_label|Boyce_Kotwal_a|3|none

As the name of the fire and of the fire temple in India, the term "Iranshah" is not attested before the 20th century. Prior to that date, it was simply called the 'Udvada "Ātash Bahrām"'. The first recorded use of the name in reference to the fire there appears in a 1905 work by Jivanji Modi, who made several allusions to the "Iranshah Fire" within the space of two pages. In 1920, when Shahpurshah Hodivala published his English language translation of the Qissa-i Sanjan, he assumed that this was the original name of the fire even though it was still unknown among the Parsis. Later an explanation evolved "that it had been so called because it was consecrated to be the earthly representative of Yazdegerd III, the last Zoroastrian king of Iran – an explanation which runs counter to what is said in the Qisse about the particular reason for establishing the Fire." ref_label|Boyce_Kotwal_b|4|none Today, this explanation is accepted by almost all devout Parsis, and even the few skeptics among them tend to refer to the fire as the "Iranshah".

In the present-day

Ceremonial anniversary celebrations are held at the "Ātash Bahrām" on the day of its founding. As the actual date is not known, the ceremonies in Udvada are held on the ninth day of the ninth month in the "Shahenshahi" (imperial) version of the Zoroastrian calendar (which, in 2006, was on 25 April). Pilgrims from all over the world visit the temple on that day. Special ceremonies are also held on the 20th day of each month. In the Zoroastrian calendar, that day is dedicated to the divinity Bahrām, hypostasis of victory.

Nine families, all descendants of the three priests who rescued the fire from the sacking of Sanjan, have the privilege of serving at the temple. The position of the high priest, called "Dastur", passes in turn from the head of one family to the head of another.ref_label|Boyce_Kotwal_c|5|none

Preservation

The town, and its ambience, is under threat from the advancing sea (and consequent salinity) and commercialization. The Mumbai based Save Udvada Committee, supported by the Indian and Gujarat state governments, is engaged in combating sea-driven erosion.ref_label|Homji|6|none There have also been attempts to get Udvada declared a World Heritage Site, to protect the ancient residences and the fire temple. The typical Parsi homes here with their high ceilings, sloped roofs with ornamental skirting, and double "otlas" (porches) are over a century old, and considered worth preserving.

Notes

#note_label|Desai|1|none cite web
last = Desai
first = Jenny
title = Udvada
url = http://parsiqueen.tripod.com/id31.html
accessdate = 2006-09-06
#note_label|Balaram|2|none cite web
last = Balaram
first = Gunvanti
title = Sanjan shards help piece together Parsi history
publisher = Times of India
url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=43207293
accessdate = 2006-09-06
#note_label|Boyce_Kotwal_a|3|nonenote_label|Boyce_Kotwal_b|4|nonenote_label|Boyce_Kotwal_c|5|none cite encyclopedia
title= [http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/supp4/Iranshah.html Irānshāh]
author=Boyce, Mary and Kotwal, Firoze
encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Iranica
year=2003
accessdate = 2006-09-06
#note_label|Homji|6|none cite journal
title= [http://wwwscieng.murdoch.edu.au/centres/others/mangrove/sea_level.pdf Curbing coastal erosion - Example of Udvada (South Gujarat)]
author=Homji, V. M. M.
journal=National Academy of Science Letters (India)
year=1995
accessdate = 2006-09-06