During times of trials and tribulations in the past, it is well known that our ancestors shielded and protected our sacred Iranshah fire by shifting it to different venues: Sanjan, 669 years; Bahrot Caves, 12 years (1393-1405 AC); Vansda forest, 14 years (1405-1418); Navsari, 313 years (1419-1732); Surat, three years (1733-1736); Navsari, five years (1736-1741); Valsad, one year (1741-1742); Udvada, 275 years (October 28, 1742 till date).
Memorial column at Ajmalgadh
Most Parsi Irani Zoroastrians may not know that when it was placed in the Vansda forest, the fire was lodged in caves on the hill at Ajmalgadh, approximately two kilometers away from the village of Ghodmal. To create awareness about this historic site, The World Zoroastrian Organisation Trust (WZOT) in association with Vansda Parsi Zarthosti Anjuman (VPZA) have organized the first ever jashan to be performed on the hilltop at Ajmalgadh on Saturday, February 24, 2018 (roz Mohor, mah Meher) at 10.30 a.m. The jashan will be followed by a gahanbar at the A. H. Wadia Hall at Vansda to which community members are invited. Those interested in attending should register with Darayas Mirza, VPZA secretary, Mob:09537660914.
The road journey from Bombay to Ajmalgadh, via Chikhli is expected to take nearly five hours.Take the Western Express Highway, keep left to continue on Varsova Road. Continue straight to stay on NH48 towards Valsad. Continue straight until Chikhli is reached. Ask for Chikhli Rankuva Road, and on reaching Rankuva, proceed on the Rankuva Vansda Road. At Vansda, keep to the right (signboards and volunteers here will guide the way to Ajmalgadh, Ghodmal). Continue on the Vansda Dharampur Road and on reaching Kavdej Bus Stop, turn left towards Ghodmal or Ajmalgadh. For the best route in current traffic visit
https://goo.gl/maps/PbbzC8Gypqz
The initiatives taken by WZOT and VPZA have resulted in Eco Tourism (Gujarat) and Valsad (North) Forest Division constructing a steep road through which it is now possible to reach atop the Ajmalgadh hill.
A memorial column constructed at the hilltop is there for all to see, but the path to the caves over the years had been overgrown with dense foliage. We were very fortunate that a group of youth belonging to a sister community undertook this adventurous but arduous task to access the caves, take photographs and share them with us.
During the course of a visit to various villages to highlight the conditions of Zoroastrians living in rural Gujarat, WZOT was happy to escort the young Zoroastrian adults attending the Return To Roots program in 2016 and 2017 to Ajmalgadh. This enabled them to appreciate the hardships and the sacrifices our noble ancestors endured to preserve and protect our Iranshah during those tumultuous years. DINSHAW K. TAMBOLY
Chairman, The WZO Trust
dinshawtamboly@gmail.com