Two jashans, one each in the morning and evening, an evening gathering and a commemorative volume will mark what is believed to be the 300th anniversary of the establishment of the Bhikha Behram Well at Flora Fountain, stated senior lawyer and chairman of the board of trustees of the Well, Burjor Antia. "The celebration will be on Avan roz, Avan mah, (March 22, 2025), considered auspicious for the water divinity. The evening will see a function at Allbless Baug "or any other available baug where a religious talk will be given, probably by a high priest or a scholar on importance of water in our religion.” The trustees plan to bring out a commemorative volume. "On that day we will honor our donors and also workers who have served the Well for the last several years.”
Bhikha Behram Well: "an oasis of peace” nears its 300th anniversary Photo Zal Cassinath
Before that, the Bhikha Behram Well Trust proposes to bring out a Shahenshahi (YZ 1394) calendar in August 2024, added trustee Dr Viraf Kapadia. The trustees propose to undertake beautification of the area around the Well with the support of the authorities.
"The Well has occupied a special place in the heart of Parsi Zoroastrians because of its long, hoary history,” wrote Antia. Believed to be endowed by a trader Bhikha Behram Panday in 1725 to give thanks for his being released from captivity by the Marathas, who during a skirmish with the Muslims, had mistaken him for one, he built a well a few feet away from the waters of the Arabian Sea. Known even today for its potable water, Antia added, "Water from the Well is open for all members of our society irrespective of caste, creed and sex… Bhikha Behram Well has become an oasis of peace and tranquility amid the hustle and bustle of city life of Bombay, quenching the thirst of millions… Originally this water was also available for cattle and horses but with passage of time they have disappeared from our roads.” In the past few years signs saying ‘Entry for Parsis only’ have sprouted up at the canopied and enclosed Grade 1 structure. Non Parsis may, however, avail of water from a facility at the rear of the enclosure.
Antia stated that before the advent of cinema and dramas, on auspicious days like Parsi New Year and Jamshedi Navroz, Zoroastrians used to flock to the Well to hear epic stories form the Shahnameh. "Devotees believe that the water of Bhikha Behram Well has divine power… When I came to Bombay in 1958, I used to see that cars of big industrialists like Birlas and Mafatlals would come to the Well with large vessels to collect water therefrom.”
Conservation architect Kirtida Unwalla who undertook restoration of the Well in 1999 and in 2023 noted in an article in Architectural Digest that prior to the large scale buildings on Bombay Esplanade, "There were windmills (in the area around the Well) and people from Colaba and Old Woman’s Islands arrived on bullock-carts to get wheat and maize ground. The Well and its peripheral area was where they could rest.”
An appeal for donations circulated by the trustees states that while the Trust has a corpus of Rs 50 lakhs, the expenditure exceeds income by one lakh rupees. Antia and Kapadia’s co-trustees are Pallon Shapoor Mistry, Homiar Vakil and Sharookh Driver. Donations via cheques in favor of Bhikha Behram Well Trust may be sent to the Trust office, C/o Mulla and Mulla and Cragie, Blunt and Caroe, Mulla House, 51, M. G. Road, Fort, Bombay, 400001; email: hvakil@mullas.net; mob: 9821210850.
Farrokh Jijina