Banaji Atash Beharam, Mumbai

The Banaji Atash Bahram is a sacred place for Zoroastrians, where they house a holy fire. This fire at the Banaji Atash Bahram was sanctified in the year 1845. Zoroastrians regard fire as a symbol of purity, and they incorporate it into their purification rituals.

An Atash Behram is the highest-ranking Zoroastrian temple fire, while Atash Adaran and Atash Dadgah are of lower rank, signifying varying levels of reverence. The process of establishing an Atash Behram involves collecting 16 different types of fires, including those generated by lightning, funeral pyres, and household hearths. Each fire is purified before being incorporated. A group of priests devotes nearly a year to the consecration process. The religious significance behind kindling and maintaining these multiple sacred fires is to cleanse and pay homage to Ahura Mazda's original creation in its purest form, serving as an enduring symbol of devotion.