DO YOU KNOW : PAST HISTORY OF HINDUISM IN AZERBAIJAN- INSCRIPTION An inscription from the Baku Atashgah. The first line begins: I salute Lord Ganesha (श्री गणेसाय नम), the second venerates the holy fire (जवालाजी, Jwala Ji) and dates the inscription to Samvat 1802 (संवत १८०२, or 1745-46 CE). The Persian quatrain below is the sole Persian inscription on the temple[7] and, though ungrammatical, also refers to the fire (آتش) and dates it to 1158 (١١٥٨) Hijri, which is also 1745 CE. The Baku Ateshgah was a pilgrimage and philosophical centers of fire worshipers from Multan (now located in Pakistan), who were involved in trade with the Caspian area via the famous Grand Trunk Road. The four holy elements of their belief were: ateshi (fire), badi (air), abi (water), and heki (earth). The temple ceased to be worshiped after 1883 with the installation of petroleum plants (industry) at Surakhany. The complex was turned into a museum in 1975. The annual number of visitors to the museum is 15,000. The Temple of Fire Ateshgah was nominated for List of World Heritage Sites, UNESCO in 1998 by Gulnara Mehmandarova— president of Azerbaijan Committee of ICOMOS—International Council on Monuments and Sites . It was declared a state historical-architectural reserve by decree of the President of Azerbaijan on 19 December 2007. THE TEMPLE WAS TRANSFORMED INTO A MOSQUE IN 17th-18th CC.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 10:12:33 +0000