Mumbai: As the city's Parsi-Zoroastrians prepare to celebrate the holy Bhikha Behram Well, Churchgate's tricentenary next week, they have asked the Maharashtra government to name the road junction after the well's builder.
The well was built in CE 1725 by a businessman, Bhikaji Behram Pandey, as a source of drinking water for passersby and draught animals. It is a protected monument and listed as a grade II A structure in Mumbai's heritage list. The well is in the final stages of restoration for the anniversary.
Diniar Mehta, president of the Parsi Cell, Bharatiya Janata Party, wrote to Rahul Narwekar, Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and the Colaba MLA to name the junction as 'Bhikha Behram Chowk'
"I have received several requests from the members of the Parsi community to do this and the Bhikha Behram Trust has also requested for the same," said Mehta who added that they have also written to the municipal commissioner of the city.
The well is a sacred site for Parsi-Zoroastrians to pray to the guardian angel for water. While the well dates back to the 18th century, the canopy with stained glass was built in the early 1900s. The community will meet at Albless Baug, Charni Road, on March 21, to celebrate the tricentenary.
