Temples or monuments?

There are approximately 90 fire-temples outside Bombay. Out of these 20 are in villages which have a population of less than 20. Villages having a population of less than 10 Zoroastrians could maintain the fire in one of the homes. What is the use of having dakhmas, dharamshalas and halls for four or five persons? All these estates should be sold and some part of the income accrued should be given to the poor residents of the villages, and the remaining amount for other charities, especially for the upliftment of the priestly class. The fire should be merged with those of other fire-temples on Jamshedi Navroz to avoid the problems of annually observing the roz and mah of the consecration dates.

Our high priests will not like the idea. But before the properties are devoured by encroachers or acquired by the government with the resulting wastage of time and money on legal battles, we should engage retired architects and civil engineers and pay them handsomely to work on this project. After 10 years no Zoroastrians will be living in those villages to guide our social workers and help them with information on the trusts and the trust deeds.

According to the Global Directory of Zoroastrian Fire Temples by Marzban J. Giara, dar-e-mehers in Amroli, Bhuj, Calicut, Dumas, Ilav, Khergam, Neemuch, Satara and Tarapore have a population of less than 10 persons.

For how many more years will these edifices stand, not as temples but like monuments?

ROSHAN M. BULSARA