Ever heard of the iconic Fire Temple on Ezra Street that serves as a sacred place for the Parsi community in the city? If you haven’t, read on to know more about this heritage building.
This now abandoned temple that has been in ruins since the 1980s, was built in 1839 (if we were to go by the hardly visible plaque outside the building) by Rustomjee Cowasjee Banajee, believed to be one of the first Parsis to have settled in then Calcutta. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation had declared it a Grade I structure in the Graded List of Heritage Buildings and was renovated a few years ago.This architectural marvel, also known as Ervad Dhunjeebhoy Byramjee Mehta Zoroastrian Anjuman Atash Adaran, is the centre for the Parsi community to offer prayers and hold rituals and events to this day. The ground floor consists of a hall for gatherings as well as a over-a-century-old grandfather’s clock. There’s a Faravahar (symbol of the Zoroastrian faith) - a bearded man standing above a pair of wings with one arm stretched forward - right on top of the building.
The temple also has the altar, where once the holy flame burned (it was removed during renovation). The doors and windows are made using stained, colour glass that depict different symbols and beliefs of the Zoroastrianism like the holy fire and the wings of the Faravahar that represent light and warmth.It had been in ruins since the 1980s when it was abandoned but it's great to see that it's finally been restored.
