Archive · 4 Jan 2026
186-Year-Old Parsi Fire Temple in Kolkata Found Restorable After Fire
A very old Parsi fire temple in Kolkata, which is 186 years old, caught fire a few months ago.
People were worried it might be badly damaged, but the city's engineers checked it and said it's still strong and can be fixed.
The fire only damaged some wooden doors, windows, and left marks on the walls.
The temple is very important because it's one of the oldest in the city and is protected as a heritage site.
There are only about 350 Parsis left in Kolkata, and they care about the temple but can't take care of it themselves.
Some people have stalls around the temple, and there's a dispute about whether they should be there.
The person in charge of the temple now is the official trustee, who is looking after it for the time being.
The 186-year-old Parsi fire temple on Ezra Street in Kolkata is structurally stable and can be restored after a fire in November.
Damage from the fire was limited to wooden doors, windows, and soot marks on the walls, with minor damage to the portico ceiling.
KMC engineers confirmed that the temple's columns, beams, and piers are intact, and the exposed brick walls are due to neglect, not structural weakness.
The temple is a Grade I heritage structure and was built in 1839 by Rustomjee Cowasjee, with Dwarkanath Tagore present at its inauguration.
The temple is currently managed by the administrator-general and official trustee of Bengal, with disputes over stall encroachments and community involvement.
- Who
- Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) engineers, Parsi community, stall owners, trustee
- What
- Inspection and assessment of the 186-year-old Parsi fire temple after a fire
- When
- Fire occurred on November 15; inspection and assessment afterward
- Where
- Ezra Street, Kolkata, India
- Why
- To determine the structural integrity and potential for restoration of the heritage temple
- Age of Temple
- 186 years
- Location
- Ezra Street, Kolkata
- Heritage Status
- Grade I
- Current Status
- Structurally stable, restoration possible
- Damage
- Wooden doors, windows, soot marks, portico ceiling
- Parsi Population in Kolkata
- Approximately 350
- Stall Owners
- About 60, currently not allowed to rebuild
- Trustee
- Administrator-General and Official Trustee of Bengal