The lashings of rain and flooding in parts of Ajmer on account of Cyclone Biparjoy did not deter community members from attending the celebrations for the newly renovated Ajmer Parsi Agiary’s 125th salgirah on June 19, 2023. The city houses one of the two fire temples in Rajasthan state, the other being at Abu Road. As wrote Adarbad Motafram, retired college professor and joint honorary secretary of Shri Ajmer Parsi Jarthosti Anjuman that runs the place of worship, the sacred fire has "guarded and enlightened” their minuscule community. "We, the Parsis of Ajmer, have always felt especially blessed to attend religious ceremonies on festive occasions and seek divine protection.”
Top: Ajmer Parsi Agiary; 2nd row: fire temple lit up, worshippers;
3rd row, from far l: trustees Jal Bodhanwala, Adarbad Motafram,
Dr Aspi Contractor, Navil Marker, Dr Homyar Boocha
A hama anjuman jashan was performed and maachi offered. The power outage on account of the Cyclone sorted itself out just before the jashan was to start, Motafram stated. Leading the jashan was Ervad Aspi Mobedji of Bombay’s Shapurji Sorabji Kappawala Agiary and local behdin pasban Eric Hansotia. "The flames blazed in the sanctum sanctorum as Hansotia recited the Atash Nyiash,” noted Motafram.
A short speech by Anjuman honorary secretary Dr Aspi Contractor on the "miraculous power of our dadgah” was followed by felicitations for Mobedji, Hansotia and his father Firdaus, caretaker of the fire temple. Dinner and bonhomie followed. A message from Anjuman president Jal Bodhanwala who currently lives in Canada was read out by Motafram. Dr Homyar Boocha serves as honorary treasurer while Navil Marker is honorary joint treasurer.
"Our hearts were filled with deep gratitude to our founding fathers, the Kalyaniwala family,” noted Motafram. Researcher Marzban Giara notes in his Global Directory of Fire Temples that the agiary building was built by Faramji Navroji Balabhai Kalyaniwala and opened for performing sacred rituals on July 19, 1898.
The fire temple was renovated between November 2022 and June 2023. Besides the fire temple, the Anjuman properties include a tower of silence (built 1888); panthaky’s residence (1889); three residential blocks including a dharamshala (1911, 1964, 1975) and a kathi store. About 30 community members live in Ajmer whose current population according to the government’s census website is 7,47,000.