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Fire Temple (also Dar-e Mihr in Persian در مهر, or Atash Kadeh آتشکده in Iran, Agiary in India, Atəşgah in Azerbaijani, and various names in North America) is a place of worship for Zoroastrians. It is typically a building with a hall and various rooms or chambers, the most holy of which houses a sacred fire, which laymen make offerings to and priests perform rituals before. In Zoroastrianism, fire is revered as the son of Ahura Mazda, and represented by the Amesha Spenta Asha Vahishta, or "Best Righteousness." There are three grades of fires: the Atash Dadgah, Atash Adaran, and Atash Behram, sometimes called a "Fire Cathedral".

Origins

The Iranians come from the prehistoric Indo-Iranian group, which included what was to become the Vedic culture in India. Being a nomadic people in the Central Asian steppes, fire was a source of not only warmth, but protection at night. Therefore, it became revered, as can be seen in the Rig Veda, where Agni is the first word and remains prominent throughout the Rig Veda. In Hinduism, ceremonies can still be seen in the yajña ceremony. The pre-Zoroastrian equivalent of Agni was the god Ātar, who was propitiated at the home's hearth and on hill-tops during seasonal festivals, similar to the ancient Greek's worship of Hestia. During this time, usage of familiar ritual implements, such as the barsom, and the sacrament of haoma can be recognized.

Development

Originally there were no fire temples. There is no mention of fire temples in Zarathushtra's Gathas, nor is there even an Avestan word for 'fire temple'. The only mention in the Avesta of a place for a stationary fire is in the Vendidad. By the time of the Parthian, and possibly as early as the Achaemenid dynasty, the first fire temples were being built atop artificial earthen mounds, but their architecture was open and had no roofs, as Herodotus, Strabo and Pausanias reported. It was the belief of Zoroastrians at the time that the essence of God could not be shut into walls. An example of this style can be found at Tappeh Meel near Tehran, Takht-e Suleiman, and Nishapur. Though four miles west of Isfahan is the Atashgah ('place of fire'), harkening back to the earlier tradition of ascending hills to be closer to the heavens. The oldest archaeological site found of what would be recognized as a fire temple today is the Kuh-e Khwaja, near Lake Hamun in Sistan. The remains suggest an inner sanctum where the fire was housed and corresponds with what the Muslim writer Qazvini observed at the site in the 13th century. Features that all these writers observed which correspond with the Zoroastrian scriptural edicts are the ever-burning fire in a stone ceremonial vessel, the cloth mask worn over the nostrils and mouth to prevent pollution from the breath, a bundle of twigs (barsom) held by the priest, and special silver tongs for tending the fire. These basic features are still prevalent today, though slightly changed.

The Great Fires

Apart from minor fire temples (atash-e aduran), were the three Great fires said to have been brought forth by Ahura Mazda . Over time these became associated with the legends of Persian heroes such as Jamshid and Rustam and miracles were said to happen at them. These fires were Adur Burzen-Mihr, Adur Farnbag, and Adur Gushnasp. Their antiquity is attested to by the fact that their origins had become surrounded by legends during the early Sasanid dynasty. The Greater Bundahishn says the Great fires had existed since creation and had been brought forth on the back of the ox Srishok to propagate the faith, dispel doubt, and to protect all humankind. But the Great fires were also vehicles of propaganda and symbols of the Shahenshah's sovereignty. In addition to Shah's exploiting their symbolism, the priests (mobeds) of these respective "Royal Fires" would compete with each other to draw pilgrims by promoting the legends and miracles said to happen at their site. Further posturing was made by associating each fire with one of the three classes. The Adur Burzen-Mihr’s social status was lowered after the Adur Farnbag fire (Sharifabad) was claimed to be the fire of the highest class, the priesthood; and the Adur Gushnasp was claimed to be that of the warrior class, therefore leaving only the lowest class of herdsmen and farmers for the Adur Burzen-Mihr. But in truth the politics did not change the fact that the Adur Burzen-Mihr remained the holiest and most powerful. These fires and minor fires continued to burn throughout the lands of the Persian Empire until the Arab invasion and the persecution which would follow.

From Muslim Invasions to Present

After the Arab conquest of Persia in the seventh century the native religion was driven underground due to aggressive proselytization and persecution. Fire temples were seized or destroyed and so Zoroastrians, or gabr's as they came to be known pejoratively, began worshiping privately in buildings with undescript façades. When Zoroastrians fled Iran to find refuge in the 8th century, they carried this tradition, along with the Iranshah fire (Adur Burzen-Mihr) to India. In India the new tradition of housing the fire in a metal urn called an afrinagan began after the Islamic Invasion of India forced them to transport it from Navsari to numerous places including the Bahrot caves and ultimately to its current location at Udwada. Today, besides the faravahar this is the most iconic symbol of Zoroastrianism. In time they were exporting afrinagans to their co-religionists who stayed in Iran, particularly in Yezd and Kerman.

Fire Temples Today

Fire Temples today are meeting places for Zoroastrians, as well as housing the sacred fire. Non-Zoroastrians are strictly prohibited from Fire Temples, for fear that the presence of someone not initiated in the faith or of pure Persian descent will pollute the sacred space. Zoroastrians insist though that this is not meant to offend non-Zoroastrians, but point to similar practices in other religions.

The layman will typically enter the Fire Temple, offer a donation, receive an offering of sandalwood, bathe and perform basic prayers before entering the room which houses the fire. This room is sometimes circular, sometimes not; but it is almost always tiled, or of marble, and sparse in any decoration. This is in accordance with the fastidious Zoroastrian ethos, in which the proverb, 'cleanliness is indeed next to godliness' can be interpreted literally. In this room, the residing priests, Mobeds, keep watch over, circumbabulate and perform rituals in front of 24 hours a day, and ring the bell during the boi ceremony five times a day during each gah. When the worshiper enters they will offer the sandalwood (or other sweet smelling fuel, such as frankincense, specified in the Avesta) to the fire. The Litany to Fire (Atash Nyayesh) will be recited in Avestan invoking the holy spirit, and the priest will use a special ladle to proffer the holy ash to the layperson which in turn rubs it on their forehead and eyelids.

Though there is no Zoroastrian equivalent of the sabbath and every day is holy, Fire Temple attendance is notable during seasonal celebrations (Gahambars), and especially the New Year (Noruz).

List of Atash Behrams

  • Yezd Atash Behram, 470, in Yazd, Iran
  • Iranshah Atash Behram, Udwada (est. 720 in Sanjan), India
  • Seth Khurshedji Tehmulji Desai Atash Behram, 1765 in Navsari, India
  • Seth Pestonji Kalabhai Vakil Atash Behram, 1823 in Surat, India
  • Seth Dadabhai Nusserwanji Modi Atash Behram, 1823 in Surat, India
  • Seth Hormusji Bomanji Wadia Atash Behram, 1830 in Mumbai, India
  • Seth Cavasji Byramji Banaji Atash Behram, 1845 in Mumbai, India
  • Seth Dadhibhai Nusserwanji Dadiseth Atash Behram, 1873 in Mumbai, India
  • Zarthusti Anjuman Atash Behram, 1897 in Mumbai, India
  • Sharifabad Atash Behram, ?, in Sharifabad, Iran

List of Fire Temples: South Asia

List of Fire Temples: Iran/Azerbaijan

  • Pir-e Sabz, Chak Chak, Iran. Pilgrimage site.
  • Pir-e Herisht
  • Pir-e Narestaneh
  • Pir-e Banu
  • Pir-e Naraki
  • Arbab Rustam Guive Dadgah, Resalat, Iran
  • ?, Rachune, Iran
  • Ghazimabad Atash Kadeh
  • Qoleh Asadan
  • Ateşgah, Surakhany, Azerbaijan

List of Fire Temples: North America

References

  • Darmesteter, James (1880). The Zend-Avesta, part I, The Vendidad, SBE, vol. IV, Oxford University Press.*
  • Darmesteter, James (1883). The Zend-Avesta, part II, The Sirozahs, Yashts and Nyayesh, SBE, vol. XXIII, Oxford University Press.*
  • Boyce, Mary (1979). Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Routledge. ISBN 0415239036
  • Boyce, Mary (1984). Textual Sources for the Study of Zoroastrianism. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226069303
  • Hartz, Paula R (1999). Zoroastrianism. Facts on File, Inc. 0816057230
  • Hinnells, John R. (1973). Persian Mythology. Newnes Books. ISBN 0872260178
  • Noss, John B. (1949). Man's Religions. Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc. ISBN 0023884703
  • Curtis, Vesta Sarkhosh (1993). Persian Myths. British Museum Press. ISBN 0292711581
  • Zaehner, R.C. (1961). The Dawn and Twilight of Zoroastrianism. Phoenix Press. ISBN 1842121650
  • Zaehner, R.C. (1975). The teachings of the Magi: A compendium of Zoroastrian beliefs. Sheldon Press. ISBN 0859690296
  • Strabo. ed. H. L. Jones (1924). The Geography of Strabo. Harvard University Press.
  • Foltz, Richard C. (1961). Religions of the Silk Road: overland trade and cultural exchange from antiquity to the fifteenth century. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0312233388
  • Dadrawala, Noshir H. (1995). Iran, The Spiritual Motherland of Zoroastrians. Jam-e-Jamshed.*

Related links

External links

Zoroastrianism | Avesta

Feuertempel

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Fire temple".

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