This would technically be Secunderabad but let's stick to the Hyderabad by Walk motto. Sunnie and I were unsure where to head out when he suggested that perhaps we check out Secunderabad. The idea was to park near Paradise where we would ultimately return to for a breakfast and chai. Being an early hour it was still dark and we got along at a brisk pace - the idea was to walk straight down towards Tank Bund and check out anything of interest on the way.
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| Parsi temple |
Just a little distance into the MG Road, where the popular Universal Bakery with its famous burgers existed, we came upon the Parsi Fire Temple. Obviously it was out of bounds and we could only peek at it through the gates. I looked it up on my favorite source and found that it was believed to be consecrated in 1847. Two brothers Pestonji Meherji and Viccaji Meherji who had settled down in Secunderabad built it. The Parsi population in Hyderabad they say is second largest in India after Mumbai.
The Parsi fire temple in Secunderabad was the first fire temple built in the Nizam's dominion. (A fire temple is a place of worship for the followers of Zoroastrianism.) There is a washing area, a dome called the Quibla where the sacred fire is enthroned in a steel container 'Afargan', made from bark free dried wood. The fire lit in 1847 is uninterrupted till date. The Parsi act of worship is also called the namaz.
Of the 177 fire temples in the world, 150 are in India they say. About 450 Parsi families live in Hyderabad, with a history that's over 175 years old. They seem to have come to Hyderabad from Konkan as cotton traders, and grew to be financially so sound that they would give loans to the Nizam.
More on this when i get some more info.
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