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Allbless Baug, decked in ceremonial spring flowers and bright lights, was the venue for a history-in-the-making event: the tercentenary celebration of the Bhikha Behram Well (BBW), a sacred sweet water well that stands at the Churchgate end of Cross Maidan. Initially classified as a Grade I heritage structure, it was declared a Grade II B heritage structure by the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee in 2019. This tag ensures its protection and preservation for posterity. The elegant pavilion with its stunning stained glass panels, elaborate stone carvings and intricate ironwork can be viewed by visitors and passers-by. The canopy and the pavilion, built in 1944, stand testament to the fusion of Parsi and European architectural elements. Taps located at the rear side of the well make the filtered drinking water accessible to all communities. Conservation architect Kirtida Unwalla’s firm carried out extensive repairs and restoration work in 1999, continuing the refurbishment in 2023 and completing it in early 2025.

Members of the BBW Trust, Ervad (Dr) Burjor Antia, chairman, Dr Viraf Kapadia, Homiar Vakil, Pallon Mistry and Shahrookh Davar had left no stone unturned in giving this historic occasion a grand and fitting tribute. The festivities began with a morning jashan at the Well, followed by an evening jashan at Allbless Baug leading to the glittering felicitation ceremony where retired Bombay High Court Justice Shahrukh Kathawalla was chief guest. Distinguished invitees graced the occasion; some men in daglis and phetas and women in yards of silk or Western ensembles lent a distinctive Parsipanu to the occasion.

  Photo: Sooni Taraporevala 

Vistasp Gotla, theater actor in his role as master of ceremonies welcomed the gathering, inviting Yasmin Charna to sing a monajat before Antia began his address on a note of gratitude. "I feel it is our solemn duty to thank the almighty for allowing our holy Bhikha Behram Well to exist for 300 years and counting. On this occasion let us remember with reverence the holy fravashi of late Bhikha Behram Panday for leaving behind a spring of divinity in the name of the Bhikha Behram Well,” he said to applause. A commemorative book, Waternamah — 300 years of Mumbai’s Bhikha Behram Well 1725-2025, and a silver coin were released by Kathawalla and the trustees.

Waternamah, comprising 32 essays by researchers and scholars such as Dastur (Dr) Firoze Kotwal, Ervad (Dr) Ramiyar Karanjia, Khojeste Mistree and Dr Shernaz Cama, as well as writers such as Devadutt Patnaik, Drs Farokh Udwadia, Pheroza Godrej and Mazda Turel. This keepsake book has been edited by well-known journalist Bachi Karkaria, assisted by Nandini Bhaskaran, while filmmaker Sooni Taraporevala was the photo editor. Credit for the life-like watercolor illustrations, including the cover sketch, goes to Zarin Amrolia. The silver coin carrying an imprint of the well on one side and the likeness of prophet Zarathushtra on the other, could well be considered a prized piece for a collector.

Honored at the ceremony were Ramiyar Panday, Freny Tyabji, Khorshed and Fali Pocha, descendants of Bhikha Behram Panday who flew in from far-off Spain and Australia, especially for this occasion. Patrons of the Trust, donors as well as contributors to Waternamah and the staff of the BBW were also felicitated. 

Describing it as a precious landmark of faith and piety, Kathawalla said, "This well is often called ‘the miracle well’ because it has been known to bestow boons and blessings in abundance.” He recalled an incident in 1973 when Alice building in Flora Fountain caught fire and water from nearby agiaries was rushed to the site. The next day The Times of India carried a report about the fire brigade running tankers from a well in Cross Maidan; this well was undoubtedly the BBW.

  Photos: Sarosh Daruwalla, Mazda Studios

Kathawalla talked about the limited means of his family and his passion for entering elocution competitions and prayer recitation competitions as a schoolboy. Sometime in 1976-77, he had signed up for an elocution competition held by the Iran League that carried the princely sum of Rs 150 as the first prize. On the day of the competition, his mother accompanied him to The K. R. Cama Oriental Institute in Fort. To his horror, he discovered that the venue for the competition was the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy School at Charni Road. The taxi fare being unaffordable, they had to walk to Churchgate station to board a train to Charni Road. As they passed the BBW, his mother urged the young lad to say a sincere prayer that they reach in time and he be allowed to participate in the competition. Kathawalla managed to bag the first prize! That childhood experience strengthened his profound faith in the divine energy of the Well; he never failed to pay obeisance to the Well as he passed it on his way to the High Court as a judge in later years. "This sacred well has withstood all impediments and has retained its sanctity and serenity, being a faith-filled sanctuary of peace and prayer from which generations of devotees have drawn not just water but also solace and hope. May the Bhikha Behram kua forever overflow with sweet water and blessings for our country, our city and our community.”

Vakil’s vote of thanks brought the formal part of the evening to an end and the audience rose for Chhaiyé Hamé Zarthoshti. Singers Viraf Daruwala, Shiraz and Ruzbeh then took the stage to entertain the audience with their foot-tapping Bollywood songs of the golden era. The sit-down feast that followed brought the evening to a delicious close.

If only one could teleport oneself to 1725 to witness what life must have been like when the well was sunk! One finds it difficult to imagine that the Arabian Sea was almost up to where the Well stands now, with none of the landmarks such as Churchgate station, Eros Cinema, the Central Telegraph Office, the High Court or even Bombay University being constructed. It was in that desolate stretch of land that Bhikhaji, a successful merchant who had come to Bombay from Bharuch, sank the Well following a divine revelation. A recurring dream pinpointing the location of the Well led him to undertake this task. At first his wife and later the British authorities as well as his friends tried to dissuade him: how could a well so close to the sea yield anything but brackish water? However, Bhikhaji’s conviction led him to start digging at that very spot and much to everyone’s surprise, sweet water flowed out, rewarding his persistence. Bhikhaji also constructed a trough alongside the well to quench the thirst of animals.

Witnessing the tercentenary celebration made me recall a childhood ritual: a customary visit to the sea shore at Marine Lines and the BBW especially during Avan mah. Eating my grandma’s dar ni pori after these visits was another treat. May the legacy of the BBW continue to inspire succeeding generations of the community.