Parsis in Navi Mumbai will have a fire temple soon

Parsis in Navi Mumbai will have a new place of worship within about a year and a half. The foundation stone for a fire temple is to be laid in Koparkhairne on Sunday.

The temple complex is planned on a 10,700 sq ft plot in the sector 9 area. The temple itself will be of the Atash Adarnan type and occupy about 2,500 sq ft, Sharukh Mahiar Doctor, president of the New Bombay Zoroastrian Association, said on Friday.

The remainder area will have a garden and a well. A separate is also planned that will house a community centre and an aged home. The association is responsible for the construction of the new fire temple.

There are about 50 fire temples in Mumbai. Also commonly called agiaries, the fire temple is built around the sacred fire within. They are graded according to three grades of fire – the Atash Dadgah, Atash Adaran and Atash Behram.

The fire temple in Navi Mumbai will be the Atash Adaran grade, which requires a priest to tend to the holy fire ten times a day, Doctor explained. There are about 400 Parsi families residing in Navi Mumbai.

The project will cost an estimated Rs4 crore. "The land for the project has been given to us by Cidco. We have managed to raise half the amount required," said Doctor. The association has set a target to complete the work in 12 to 18 months.