Why the Parsi community is divided over special prayers for the Ram temple

The Parsi community in India appears to be sharply divided over the presence of the high priest of Udvada, the fire temple in Gujarat revered by the community, at the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya – as well as special prayers held at several fire temples in India to mark the consecration of the Hindu temple on Monday.

For the Zoroastrian community, a “Khushali nu Jashan” is a celebratory prayer held to mark the beginning of anything new, like moving into a new home, or an occasion like a birthday or an anniversary.

The consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya was marked with a 45-minute special prayer on Monday morning at the Atash Behram in Navsari, Gujarat.

An Atash Behram is a fire temple of the highest order in which a sacred fire, from 16 different sources, is maintained. India has eight such Atash Behrams, apart from over 150 fire temples.

Special prayers were also held in Delhi’s Dar-e-Mahal fire temple, and the fire temples in Thane and Mumbai’s Jogeshwari.

The prayers have triggerred a debate, as an orthodox section of Zoroastrians have expressed their discomfort at rituals being held for a Hindu temple. Others pointed out that such a decision should have been...

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