Udvada
| Udvada | |
|---|---|
| town | |
 Udvada
Udvada
|
|
| Coordinates: 20°17′N 72°31′E / 20.29°N 72.52°ECoordinates: 20°17′N 72°31′E / 20.29°N 72.52°E | |
| Country |
 India
|
| State | Gujarat |
| District | Valsad |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 5,897 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Gujarati |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Telephone code | 91260 |
| Vehicle registration | GJ-15 |
| Sex ratio | 995/1000 ♀/♂ |
| Website | gujaratindia |
Udvada is a town in Gujarat, renowned for its Zoroastrian Atash Behram. This place of worship is the oldest still-functioning example of its kind, and has established Udvada as a pilgrimage center for Zoroastrians the world over.
Udvada is a coastal town 200 km north of Mumbai, around 8 km off the national highway, NH8. Trains ply from Mumbai to Udvada, including the Gujarat Express, the Ferozepur Janta Express and Saurashtra Express. Udvada means the 'grazing ground of camels', which it was before it became a fishing village.
The importance of Udvada in Parsi (Indian Zoroastrian) history and religion centres around the Atash Behram (from Middle Persian Atash Warharan for "Victorious Fire", the highest grade of ritual fire of the Zoroastrians) housed in the fire temple there.
The Udvada Atash Behram (20°29′15″N 72°52′15″E / 20.4875°N 72.8707°E) is the most sacred of the Zoroastrian fire temples in India and the oldest continuously burning fire-temple fire in the world. The Udvada Atash Behram is one of nine Atash Behrams worldwide, eight of which are in western India (four in Mumbai, two in Surat, one in Navsari, and the one in Udvada), and one of which is in Yazd, in central Iran.
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