Hirji Vacha Modi known by many orthographic variations including ''Mody Hirjee Wacha'' was a wealthy
Parsi
Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim con ...
businessman who was responsible for constructing the first Parsi
Tower of Silence
A ''dakhma'' ( fa, دخمه), also known as a Tower of Silence, is a circular, raised structure built by Zoroastrians for excarnation (that is, the exposure of human corpses to the elements for decomposition), in order to avert contaminat ...
in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
in 1672. He also built the first fire temple in Mumbai in the Modikhana area of
Fort
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
in 1671. This was later destroyed in the great fire of 1803.
He was also a founder of the
Bombay Parsi Punchayet
The Bombay Parsi Punchayet (Also known as ''Bombay Parsi Panchayat'', ''Bombay Parsi Panchayet'' or ''BPP'') is the apex body representing the Parsi Zoroastrian Community in Mumbai. BPP was founded in the 1670s. It is a charitable trust and is t ...
.
References
Parsi people from Mumbai
Businesspeople from Mumbai
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