Zoroastrian Studies Seminar Series: Concept and Functions of the Zoroastrian Fire Temple

The Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies
University of Toronto Zoroastrian Studies Seminar
presents

Concept and Functions of the Zoroastrian Fire Temple

Ervad Dr. Ramiyar Parvez Karanjia, Principal, Dadar Athornan Institute

 
 
Friday, 10 November 2023, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Canada and US) 
 
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Abstract:

The Zoroastrian fire temple houses a sacred fire. Both the building housing the sacred fire and the sacred fire itself have a sanctity and sacredness of their own.

The veneration of fire in fire temples is definitely not a direct worship of fire. Zoroastrians worship god in fire temples through the medium of fire. Hence it is wrong when some people regard Zoroastrians as fire-worshippers. The fire temple building is consecrated and made sacred. At the same time a process goes on to prepare the sacred fire for the fire temple. We will understand the structure and composition of a fire temple, and its various purposes.

Bio:

Ervad Dr. Ramiyar Parvez Karanjia is Principal of the Dadar Athornan Institute. He was also a student at this Institute and the DPYA high school, and was trained as a full-fledged priest from the Dadar Athornan Institute. He has obtained his masters and doctorate in Avesta-Pahlavi from Bombay University. He was a postdoctoral research scholar at the universities of Uppsala (Sweden), Heidelberg (Germany) and Zürich (Switzerland). He has written more than fifteen books. He regularly conducts courses and seminars, and gives presentations and talks on Zoroastrian religion, spirituality, Iranian languages and history. His students span the age group from five to eighty years old. He is a regular columnist with the Jam-e Jamshed weekly and also contributes to other papers and magazines. His website www.ramiyarkaranjia.com offers information about Zoroastrian religion, Iranian history, languages and spirituality for all age groups.