PAST HISTORY OF HINDUISM IN AZERBAIJAN- INSCRIPTION

Ateshgah of Baku

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,[7] 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^[4] — 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
"His back left hand carries a purifying flame (agni) ... grasping a trident that Lord Shiva holds (trishul), and beating a drum(the damru which is lord Shiva's instrument) from which all of the sounds of the universe emanate ..."
-An inscribed invocation to Lord Shiva in Sanskrit at the Baku Ateshgah Fire Temple , Azerbaijan

Shri Ganeshaye Namah Inscription Baku Ateshgah Azerbaijan

Hinduism was in existence in the Caucasus Region, Iran and Urals.The Ancient Kingdom was known as UttaraKuru.Before Zoroastrianism came to hold its sway in Persia Hinduism was practiced.

The Temple at Baku Ateshgah Azerbaijan contains inscription stating with Shri Ganeshaya Namah, the traditional Hindu way of praying.

Sanskrit (pic) and Persian (pic) inscriptions from the Ateshgah (fire temple) of Baku, Azerbaijan. The Sanskrit inscription is a religious Hindu invocation in old Devanagari script while the Persian inscription is a couplet. The Sanskrit invocation begins with: I salute Lord Ganesh (श्री गणेशाय नमः), a standard beginning of most Hindu prayers. The second line venerates the holy fire Jwala Ji (जवालाजी). The inscription is dated to Vikram Samvat 1802 (संवत १८०२, i.e. 1745 CE). Unlike the several Sanskrit (written in Devanagari) and Punjabi (written in Gurmukhi) inscriptions in the temple, the Persian quatrain below is the sole Persian one and, though ungrammatical, also refers to the fire (آتش) and dates it to Hijri 1158 (١١٥٨, i.e. again 1745 CE). (From the source, “a quatrain in not very good Persian, the mistakes of which might have been made by a Hindu imperfectly acquainted with the language …”.)

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