History of the Parsis : including their manners, customs, religion and present position : with coloured and other illustrations : in two volumes

CHAP. I.] THE SANJAN FIRE-TEMPLE. 35

to Him in grateful memory of their deliverance from the hand of death, and they embraced the earliest opportunity of intimating to the Hindu chief their intention of building, with his permission, a fire-temple in Sanjan, in fulfilment of the solemn pledge which they had made. As the Hindus themselves hold fire in veneration, not only was the desired permission at once and cordially accorded, but every assistance was rendered to further the object. The fire-temple was, however, wholly and exclusively constructed by the Parsis themselves. The Rana did no more than supply various articles for the purpose of expediting the great work. A few years witnessed the completion of the temple (A.D. 721), and saw the sacred fire kindled on its altar m accordance with the rites of the Zoroastrian religion.

For about three hundred years after landing at Sanjan the Parsis are said to have lived in peace and without molestation. By that time their numbers had greatly increased. Many of them had moved into other parts of India with their families. They had gone, among other places, to Cambay, Anklesvar, Variav, Vankaner, and Surat, in the north, and to Thana and Chaul in the south, places still to be easily recognised on the map of Western India. The earliest emigration from Sanjan seems to have been to Cambay. According to Mr. Robertson’s account of Cambay, published in the year 1813, they were