Satara’s last nine bawas

There are just two Parsi families remaining in Satara, a district town located about 300 km from Bombay, and devotees at the Satara Zarthoshti Anjuman Daremeher, popularly known as Khan Agiary located in the heart of the town are few. But that is not cause for concern for Ervad Yezdi Tarapore who has been its caretaker for the past 12 years. The 50-year-old priest takes pride in the fact that at least Farrokh Cooper, chairman and managing director of Cooper Foundries, a senior member of the nine-strong community visits the fire temple every day to offer prayers, as per a report in DNA dated August 19, 2008. "It is not mandatory for devotees to come to the agiary every day. The members however attend all the three big annual celebrations like Parsi New Year,” Tarapore informed DNA’s correspondent.

Half a century ago there were more than 50 Parsis in Satara, but over the years most of them moved out for various reasons. The two remaining families, the Coopers and the Satarawallas, are very affluent and participate in the city’s educational, social and medical welfare activities. "They donate generously to genuine causes. They are well respected and revered by the local populace,” photo-journalist Rahul Deshpande informed DNA. "They all speak Marathi and mingle with local culture so well that sometimes it becomes difficult to believe that they are Parsis,” Deshpande added.

Satara Zarthoshti Anjuman Daremeher Photo courtesy: Global Directory of Zoroastrian Fire Temples by Marzban Giara

In fact, when the Cooper family’s matriarch Homai passed away in August 2007, she was cremated, in accordance with her wishes. "On August 2, 2007 Brahmins, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Dalits and some Parsis together lit my mother’s funeral pyre on the banks of the Krishna River at Satara. Thousands came to pay their last respects and in their speeches after the cremation expressed their personal emotions… She belonged here in Satara and in deference to her wishes and the demand of the local people we cremated her here,” Farrokh wrote in his obituary to his mother published in Parsiana dated November 7, 2007.

In the second edition of his Global Directory of Zoroastrian Fire Temples, Marzban Giara records that the Daremeher was built by Bai Navajbai Dinshawji Khan of Bombay, daughter of the late Dinshawji Bhikhaji Khan and wife of Pestonji Dorabji Mistree, in memory of her late husband, family members and in-laws. She donated Rs 11,000 for constructing the edifice. The daremeher was consecrated by the Deccan’s Vada Dastur Sardar Kekobad Adarbad on July 2, 1911. Ervad Rustamji Motafaram served there for 51 years (1935-1986).

When the agiary building needed some urgent repairs in 1951 community members from Satara and Kolhapur donated Rs 34,000 for the purpose. "The repairs, however, required only Rs 7,000 and the remaining Rs 27,000 were used for social causes related to the citizens of Satara,” Tarapore informed DNA.