Vastu & Fengshui View Udvada / Iranshah Atash Behram

Iranshah atash behram the sacred fire temple of parsis the most important spiritual centre for zoroastrians the world over . And whether they have just got married started a business or bought a new car hordes of parsis from world over make their way to pay their respect to 1280 year old holy fire enshrined within the sacred atash behram . The parsis are protective about udvada because the iranshah is believed to be their oldest consecrated fire . Of course udvada is not entirely immune to change and only about 150 parsi household continue to reside here . Although the iranshah atash behram is a large structure it is virtually hidden by whitewashed walls and a protective ring of houses . While the fire temple itself is out of bounds for non zooroastrians the little streets the sandalwood sellers and the bustle in the vicinity are fascinating.  The iranshah is said to have been created out of 16 fires including fire from burning corpse , a shepherds house , a goldsmith’s hearth , a potter’s kiln and from lightning itself . Instead of waiting for lightning to strike and create a fire it is believed that the high priest nairyosang dhaval medidated for days and when the heavens finally cooperated he trapped the fire and preceeded with his rituals. Much of the fabric of old udvada is still intact and visitors can spend a wonderful evening reliving a bygone age . The old parsi houses in udvada reflect a distinct culture . Most have double otlas or porches the outer one is used for bargaining with veggie vendors while the inner one is used for praying and gossip sessions. Little gallis run behind the houses that in old days were used by nightsoil collectors and menstruating women . Most houses still have their own wells because well water plays an integral role in the purification rituals that the priests have to undergo . A picturesque seaside, Udvada is known for its Iran Shah Atash Behram Fire Temple. It became a popular pilgrimage for Parsis after the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway facilitated travel. It is abuzz with shops selling sandalwood , Zoroastrian religious objects, spices for dhansak – a dish that combines elements of Persian and Gujarati cuisine – among other things . There are 19th and early 20th century Parsi libraries, museums, old school buildings and dharamshalas religious resthouse. There colonial houses of Parsi priests. The Iran Shah Fire Temple is off-limits for people of other communities. According to the medieval text calledIran Shah Atash Behram at Udvada Kisse-i-Sanjan written by a priest, Bahman Kaikobad, the Zoroastrians landed and settled first at Diu and then set sail for Sanjan in the 18th century .The Atash Behram was consecrated using 16 fires. While Parsis prospered at Sanjan and nearby towns, the Islamic invasion of Sanjan led to their fleeing with the fire, which was housed in Navsari and for a short while in Surat, before it was moved to Udvada in 1742. . The present-day Udvada Fire Temple was built by Lady Motlibhaj Wadia in 1894. One of the heritage houses has been converted into Zoroastrian Information Centre. The recently renovated Sodawaterwala Dharamshala is a heritage buildings.Udvada is 108km from Surat and can be reached from Surat by train, bus .