The powerful Sassanian empire fell to the Arabs in the mid 7th century CE. Facing religious persecution, a band of Zoroastrians from Persia undertook a perilous journey across the then pirate infested Arabian sea to land on the island of Diu. After 16 years, they are said to have been settled in a place called Sanjan in Gujarat, generally thought to be in 716CE, though alternate dates 70 and 200 years later are also mentioned. The oral history about this emigration was written down as Qissa-i-Sanjan, a small account of 864 lines, by Bahman Kaikobad, a priest from Navsari, after 8 centuries. There are two other sources, both later – an account by an Englishman Henry Lord in 1621 CE and a Gujarati manuscript of the 18th century. Needless to say, the stories differ. But Parsis generally follow the Qissa-i-Sanjan.

Source: “Parsis of India”, SK Hodivala.

Qissa-i-Sanjan credits Jadi Rana for giving Parsis refuge. Historians have tried to identify him. The most likely candidate is Vijayaditya (696-733CE), ruler of Western Chalukyan dynasty with capital at Vatapi in Karnataka, whose kingdom controlled Konkan & South Gujarat. It is surmised that his name was shortened to Jyadi and Jadi Rana. A Chalukyan inscription from the period says that they got tribute from Parsikas. Qissa calls Jadi Rana, king of kings and thus other candidates that historians debate are less likely than Vijayaditya.

Jadi Rana is supposed to have imposed 5 conditions: (1) provide information about their religion (2) speak local language (3) their women should dress as Hindu women (4) should give up weapons (5) auspicious events like marriage should happen in evening.

Source: “Parsis of India”, SK Hodivala.

The Wikimedia image shows Sanjan Stambh, the memorial to Jadi Rana.

Zoroastrians consider the fire absolutely sacred and worship in fire temples called Atash Behram. When they came to India in the 8th century, they were called Parsis. The first sacred fire that they established in India was in Sanjan in Gujarat where they first settled down. It was called the Iranshah to honour the country of their origin. In the 14th century CE (or earlier), during the invasion of Gujarat by either Alauddin Khilji of Delhi sultanate or Sultan Mahmud of Gujarat, they were forced to flee with the Iranshah to Navsari. In the 17th or 18th century, the Iranshah was again transferred to Udvada, also in Gujarat, which is now the chief pilgrimage for Parsis in India.

Source: “Parsis of India”, SK Hodivala.

The Wikimedia image by Warrior 4321 shows Udvada Atash Behram where the Iranshah is housed.

Freddie Mercury, originally Farokh Balsara, is a rock legend who was the lead for the band Queen. “We will rock you” is a song that is still heard.

Born in 1946 to Parsi parents who had migrated from India to Zanzibar, he spent his childhood at a boarding school at Panchgani near Mumbai. A British citizen, his music career took off in the UK in the 70s and his adopted name became famous. He was very open about his sexual fluidity and his battle with AIDS led to his demise in 1991. His life was made into a film “Bohemian Rhapsody”, after one of his legendary compositions and won the best actor award at the Oscars.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Freddie-Mercury.

The Wikimedia image is a photo of Freddie Mercury’s statue at Montreux by P Vensaus.

The statue is a 40 ft tall cast iron statue built in 1860 by Cursetjee’s son. It was first setup at Nagpada junction where it stood for a century. It was restored and then moved to Byculla. It is a heritage monument. The locals called it ‘Khada Parsi’ as the Parsi man on top of the column stands upright.

Cursetjee Manockjee (1763-1845) was a businessman and education reformer. His son started the first English school for girls in 1859 at Byculla which still exists – Alexandra Girls English School.

Image sourced from https://twitter.com/Paperclip_In/status/1532589565336092672

Dadabhai Naoroji was born in 1825 and was a professor at Elphinstone College Mumbai. He became active in civic politics of Bombay, became a Dewan of the Baroda princely state and formed many organisations to highlight India’s cause to then British rulers. He joined the fledgling Indian National Congress and became its president thrice. He became the first Indian to be elected to the UK parliament between 1892-95 as a Labour member.

He wrote “Poverty & UnBritish Rule in India” which has served as a template to analyse the economic legacy of the British Raj. For his tireless advocacy of Indian interests for more than half a century, he was also called the “Grand Old Man of India”.

A tradition stretching back millenia, Parsi funeral rite involves exposing the dead body to decomposition via the elements and carrion birds that feed on the flesh of the dead. This is also called “sky burial” practiced some other cultures also, like Tibetans. The dakhma or the tower of silence where the sky burial happens is normally a circular structure with three concentric rings on the roof and a central ossuary pit in the middle. The dakhma is normally made among verdant surroundings and there are precise instructions on how to construct it.

The Tower of Silence in Mumbai is situated in a 54 acre forest in Malabar Hills called Doongerwadi. It was made 300 years ago. The decreasing vulture population in Mumbai is causing trouble in maintaining this tradition. The only other place where it was practiced, Iran banned the tradition in the last century.

Source: “Tower of Silence: The Vanishing Practice of Zoroastrian Sky Burial”, parsikhabar.net.

The image shows Mumbai’s Tower of Silence sourced from https://zoroastrians.net/category/doongerwadi-process/

Iranis are Zoroastrians who also came from Persia but in the 19th century, escaping renewed religious persecution. They initially spoke a Persian dialect but gradually got assimilated with the Parsis, who had come a millenium earlier. Many adopted the generic surname Irani. They were good businessmen. The café culture owes much to them.

Kayani & Co was the first Iranian café to open in 1913. Located in the Dhobi Talao area where the Iranians first settled, Kayani incorporated the influence of the Goan Christian community amongst whom they lived. Thus Kayani had brun, pao and mawa cakes. These became staple fare in all Iranian cafes. Being reasonably priced and convenient, the menu became a hit. At its peak there were 300 Irani cafes in Mumbai. As the community dwindles, only about 25 cafes survive.

Source: Indian Express

The image from parsikhabar.net is of Sassanian Boulangerie, another famous Irani café.

Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Maneckshaw was the Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army at the time of the Bangladesh war in 1971. He is reported to have offered to resign when the then PM Indira Gandhi asked him to be ready for attack in March 1971 when Pakistan started its infamous repression in East Pakistan. He said he needed time to prepare and would deliver victory if he could choose his timing. The PM agreed and an Indian army achieved one of the most comprehensive victories in history.

He became the first Field Marshall of the Army and was lovingly called Sam Bahadur (Sam the Brave). His great contemporary, Homi Bhabha was an equally outspoken and resourceful leader of India’s atomic & space programs . Two Parsis were pivotal in nurturing two institutions that all Indians bar none, are proud of. The image of the stamp honouring Homi Bhabha is under open govt data license – India.

Diana Edulji became captain of the Indian women’s cricket team in 1978. She played between 1975-91. Primarily a slow left arm orthodox spinner, her greatest contribution was to elevate the status of the women’s game in a time when it was not taken seriously. Refused entry to the Lord’s pavilion in 1986, she famously quipped that the MCC should change its name to MCP.

The Parsis were the pioneers of cricket in India. The first Indian side to tour England in the 1880s was comprised entirely of Parsis. The annual match between the European Bombay Gymkhana and the Parsi gymkhana started in the 1870s and went onto spawn the famous Bombay Pentangular tournament, that was the cradle of Mumbai cricket. Great Parsi cricketers graced the national side – the batting maestro Polly Umrigar and the flamboyant wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer, among others. Nari Contractor was the captain of the men’s team in the 60s.

The group’s journey began in 1736 when Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia set up a marine construction company, which went on to build 355 ships including the first ships constructed for the British navy outside England. In 1879, the Wadias set up Bombay Dyeing, which went on to become the group’s most popular brand.

The Tata Group was founded by Jamsetji Tata as a trading company in 1868. Ardeshir & Pirojsha Godrej started a lock company in 1897 which is now the Godrej Group. Pallonji Mistry founded the Shapurji Pallonji group in 1865, it is one of the most valuable private companies in India and not so well known as it is not listed.

Many Parsi entrepreneurs including the Wadias and Tatas contributed to the cotton trading and textile manufacturing boom in Bombay that made it the premier business city of the country.