Atashgah (Agnigriha/ Fire temple) at Surakhani Baku Azerbaijan:
A Hindu Place of Worship !
When I was watching a video of Jaggi Vasudev on an interaction on Citizen Amendment Act (CAA), he at one place mentioned the Atashgah (Fire Temple) of Surakhani Baku Azerbaijan which he visited in past. This has been, and is a sacred place for the Hindus, the Sikhs, the Zoroastrians even today and he met 160 Pakistani Hindus who had come there on a pilgrimage to this pious temple.
This reference of Jaggi Vasudev ignited in me the interest to know about the Atashgah. I went through many literature & available resources, and was astonished to find such a unique place in Baku Azerbaijan - sacred for the Hindus.
Based on Persian inscriptions, the temple was used as place of worship by Hindus, Sikhs or Zoroastrians. The pentagonal complex was built during 17th & 18th centuries. It was abandoned in the late 19th century, may be due to dwindling of Indian population in the area. The natural eternal flame went out in 1969 but is now lit by gas piped from nearby city.
The Temple of Fire "Atashgah" was nominated for List of World Heritage Sites, UNESCO in 1998. It was declared a state historical - architectural reserve by decree of the President of Azerbaijan.
Fire is understood to be sacred in the Indo-Iranian branches of Hinduism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism, and there has been debate on whether the Atashgah was originally a Hindu structure, Sikh or Zoroastrian one.The trident atop the structure is usually a distinctly a Hindu sacred symbol. Zoroastrian scholars have considered the Atashgah as Hindu and Sikh site, citing trident that is Trishul.
Zoroastrian priest J J Modi who travelled to Baku observed "not just me but any Parsee who is a little familiar with our Hindu or Sikh brethren's religion, their temples or their customs, after examining this building with its inscriptions, architecture etc, would conclude that this is not Atash Kadeh but is a Hindu temple whose Brahmins (priests) used to worship fire (Sanskrit : "Agni")."
There are several inscriptions on the Atashgah. Most of them are in Sanskrit with the exception of one Persian inscription that occurs below an accompanying Sanskrit invocation of Lord Ganesha & Jwala Ji.
The Government of Azerbaijan deserves special praise for renovating & maintaining the Atashgah or the Agnigriha - the Temple of Fire with its original attributes. We can watch a cell with chanting of Lord Ganesh Mantra and also a cell with Lord Ganesha statue apart from inscriptions in Sanskrit at most of the places in the complex.
