Salgirah in Jamshedpur

The Cursetjee Manockjee Shroff Agiary’s 59th salgirah celebrations on October 11, 2018 was "well attended,” noted ex-chairman of the Jamshedpur Parsi Association Navzar Dotivala in an email to Parsiana. A jashan and a fala ni (contributory) maachi were performed. The ceremonies were conducted by resident priest Ervad Mehernosh Dastur, assisted by Ervad Naoroze Panthaki. "As we in Jamshedpur, believe that those who pray together stay together, the community prayed two Yatha Ahu Vairyos and one Ashem Vohu after the maachi,” noted Dotivala. "Since no Parsi event is complete without food, the evening ended with everybody mingling while having chasni and snacks.”

Cursetjee Manockjee Shroff Agiary in Jamshedpur Photo: Global Directory of Zoroastrian Fire Temples

The consecrated fire was originally established by Maneckji Shroff in a building next to his bungalow at Chowpatty, Bombay, and opened for worship in November 1790, notes Marzban Giara in his Global Directory of Zoroastrian Fire Temples. Maneckji’s son Khurshedji shifted this fire to Fort and re-enthroned it in November 1816. Built anew by the heirs of Khurshedji on its 79th salgirah, the place of worship was later "closed down,” notes Giara.
Jamshedpur initially had a dadgah fire. The foundation stone of the building was laid in 1954 by Sir Jehangir Jivaji Gandhy. The dadgah grade fire was installed in May 1957. On March 3, 1960, the holy fire from the erstwhile Shroff daremeher in Bombay was taken by air to Jamshedpur in a chartered aircraft (see "The flight of the faithful,” Parsiana, February 7, 2012).