Fire temple

Grades of sacred fire

Zoroastrian fire temples are divided by the grade of the flame they house. Today, the world has 167 operational temples, with the vast majority located in India and a smaller number in Iran and other countries. The highest grade of sanctuary is the Atash Behram, meaning victorious fire. Only nine of these supreme temples exist, eight in India and one in Iran. Most other worship sites are known as agiaries or Atash Adaran, which historically served local neighbourhoods and villages. In modern times, Iranian communities often refer to the entire sacred precinct as a darb-e mehr. Major ceremonies take place between sunrise and midday, the hours traditionally associated with the divinity Mithra.

Ancient roots and architecture

Early Zoroastrian practice did not use enclosed buildings for prayer. Ancient accounts record that devotees worshipped beneath the open sky, climbing hills to kindle fires. Enclosed fire structures, known as atroshan, expanded during the Parthian period as fire altars gradually replaced divine statues. Under the Sassanid dynasty, architects developed a distinct layout featuring a square central chamber topped by a masonry dome, known as a gombad. Supported by four corner pillars, this room was bordered by a surrounding hallway. Many surviving ruins across southwestern Iran preserve only these four open arches, which locals call chahar-taq. The oldest identified foundations of a fire temple stand at Mount Khajeh in Sistan.

The legendary royal fires

Zoroastrian tradition tells of three Great Fires created directly by Ahura Mazda: Adur Farnbag, Adur Gushnasp, and Adur Burzen-Mihr. According to the Bundahishn, these flames existed from creation and were carried across the world on the back of a mythical ox to protect humanity and spread the faith. Each flame corresponded to a social class. Farnbag belonged to priests, Gushnasp to warriors, and Burzen-Mihr to farmers. Priests at these shrines shared accounts of miracles to attract pilgrims. While modern Iranian Zoroastrian priests consider these fires mythological, historical researchers have linked them to archaeological sites in places such as Takht-i-Suleiman and the Khorasan region.

Migration and the Iranshah

Following the seventh-century collapse of the Sassanid Empire, many Zoroastrians migrated to protect their religious practices. Parsi accounts relate that refugees from Khorasan carried sacred fire ash when they arrived in Gujarat more than a millennium ago. According to the text Qissa-i Sanjan, they consecrated a victorious fire at Sanjan. During later conflicts, caretakers moved the flame to the Bahrot Caves, where it was sheltered for twelve years, before keeping it in Bansdah and Navsari. The fire was eventually transferred to Udvada, where it continues to burn today as the Iranshah fire. Consecrated flames rest inside large metal containers called afrinagans, which Indian Zoroastrian craftsmen supply to communities worldwide.

How Fire temple is kept

Inside the temple, the consecrated flame rests in a large metal urn called an afrinagan, placed within a dedicated inner sanctum. Priests tend the fire continuously to maintain its purity, while worshippers visit to pray in its presence. Devotees participate in purification rites that make use of clean, white ash from the sacred fire. Rituals in the temple guide the community in proper spiritual cleanliness and in the correct care of household hearth fires. Main services are performed during the morning hours, between dawn and midday.

When and where

Zoroastrian fire temples maintain their sacred flames perpetually. While worshippers visit throughout the year, the most significant daily liturgies and rituals take place between sunrise and noon, a period traditionally placed under the spiritual protection of Mithra.

Most active fire temples are located in India, with a notable concentration of forty-five temples in Mumbai, alongside historic sites in Gujarat such as Udvada and Surat. Sanctuaries also function in Iran, including Yazd, Kerman, and Tehran, as well as in diaspora communities around the world.

What Fire temple means

In Zoroastrian tradition, fire and water represent primary agents of ritual purity. The sacred fire embodies cleanliness and order, providing a visible focus for prayer and devotion. Its clean white ash serves as an essential element in cleansing ceremonies, while the disciplined tending of the temple fire models how believers should reverently care for their own domestic hearths.

Questions people ask about Fire temple

See also

Krishna JanmashtamiA Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Krishna with fasting, singing and night vigilsThaipusamA Tamil Hindu festival honoring Murugan through devotional burdens and pilgrimageGovardhan PujaA Hindu festival of piled vegetarian foods and sculpted earth, honouring KrishnaKarthika DeepamA Tamil and Malayali Hindu festival of lights honouring Shiva, Kartikeya and Parvati

Good reading and sources

• Fire temple on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.