Do you know what is Atash Behram? It is based on an important source of energy!
The energy is known as one of the greatest invention for the man(or woman!)kind!
There is a legendary holy book which is dedicated to this great energy!
There are places in which this energy is continuously present for ages and is worshipped by many!
The chief difference between an average Human and the animals is the fact that we cook our food!
Of course now we do have many means of cooking but none can match up to the real original thing!
Without further ado, it is AGNI or FIRE!
Even now when you cook a meal, there is an added taste if you get it smoked! Or used charcoal! The smell of wood fire stimulates your taste buds which goes all the way back when your ancestors used to use wood for fire! Which is why you get hypersalivation when you get the charcoal or ‘Barbequed’ smell and taste!
In fact in one of the most holy books in Sanatana Dharma, the Rig Veda; the most prominent deity praised is Indra, followed by Agni, the sacrificial fire!
When you do a Puja with Yagna in your house, the smell of burnt wood and Ghee stays for a while and you feel blessed! I simply love that smell! In fact, in most traditions and religions, fire is an integral part! Remember that fire is the creator and fire is the destroyer!
Then you have the Atash Behram!
An Atash Behram, meaning “Victorious Fire,” is the highest grade of fire in Zoroastrianism, enshrined in sacred fire temples. It is a continuously burning flame, purified from sixteen different sources and consecrated in a complex ritual. Only nine Atash Behrams exist globally, primarily in India and Iran!
The continuously burning flame is a symbol of divine light, truth, and the eternal struggle of good over evil! The daily rituals and ceremonies within the temple, performed by priests (mobeds), are a vital part of the Zoroastrian faith.
The fire is created from sixteen different sources, including lightning, cremation pyres, and fires from various trades. Each of the sixteen fires undergoes a purification ritual before being blended. The complex consecration ceremony involves 32 priests and can take up to a year to complete!
Incidentally the fires are located majorly in India, primarily in Gujarat!
The Iranshah Atash Behram in Udvada, Gujarat, is one of the oldest and most important Atash Behrams in India and the world!
While the Atash Behram in Yazd, Iran, is also a significant temple.
The continuously burning fire represents the eternal struggle of good over evil. From darkness to light! From andhera or darkness to light or Roshan!
Which reminds me of Rajesh Roshan!
Shubh ratri…
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