From the Peacock Throne to the Land of Diversity: The Journey of Persians Across the Sands of Time

  About the Blog This blog focuses on the immigration of the Persians into India and the Parsi community. Each topic covers different aspects of the influence of the Persians on Indian culture and vice versa. Through this blog, we aim to provide an overview of the reasons why Persians moved to India, what were the barriers faced by them on coming to the country, and how their ideas and practices changed over time. We aim to do this by giving an elaborate introduction to the culture and history of the Parsis, understanding how they contributed to the society from a deterritorialization point of view, what all occupational positions they held, how they changed the geopolitical landscape of India by influencing lawmakers to change and modify existing laws and how all of these factors affected their own culture. The effect they had on Indian culture and society is a major one and we hope to weave all these topics together to paint the grander picture of the diaspora that is Parsis and ...

  History   BY TINA LAKRA The story of Persia and Persians is fascinating to read as it’s one of the oldest civilizations in the world, which is centered in modern day ‘Iran’. Persia was made up of in total three dynasties- the Achaemenid empire, the Parthian empire, and the Sasanian empire. “ The first Persian Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great around 550 B.C., became one of the largest empires in history, stretching from Europe’s Balkan Peninsula in the West to India’s Indus Valley in the East” (History.com Editors, 2023) .The empire was known for its vast territorial expansion, innovative administration, and respect for local customs and religions. The Persian religion was shaped by Zoroastrianism, which is named after the Persian Prophet ‘Zoroaster’. Under rulers like Darius I and Xerxes I, Persia developed a cultured bureaucracy, a network of roads, and a postal service, fostering trade and communication across a diverse empire. University of Punjab. (2014). Zoroastrians ...

CUISINE INTRODUCED BY PARSIS BY ARYAN TOPPO Many years ago, about the eighth century A.D., there was the ancient land of Persia ruled by “ Cyrus the Great” (founder of the Persian Achaemenid Empire). The religion that they followed was Zoroastrianism. Later, “ Alexander the Great,”  the former king of Macedonia, defeated Cyrus and conquered the Persian land. Later, there was an Arab invasion, also known as the Muslim conquest of Persia, which was a military campaign. The people of Persia (Persian) didn’t seem to like or accept it, so some of them decided to escape from their motherland. The plan to get free from their land to another was not organized or prepared. A group of Zoroastrianism refugees from Persia first landed in Gujarat around 715 A.D. Officially, they wanted to get shelter to live. The king at that time wasn't sure how to stabilize or manage this situation and what to do with the foreigners. According to some stories and resources, the head Zoroastrian priest went to...

PARSIS By VAIDAHI JAIN The Parsis community, originally from Persia is known for its distinct and colorful tradition including unique clothing. Before migrating to India, Parsis were part of the Zoroastrian community in Persian. The history of Persian clothing can be traced back thousands of years, with the earliest evidence of weaving in Iran dating back to around 6,000 BC . The garments were made with luxurious materials such as silk and gold thread, and also with jewels and embroidery. Women wore long skirts, tunics, shawls, trousers, shawls and closed robes. They also wear headscarves which are made with fine fabrics. Men wore kurta with lungi and trousers. source  India India is a country with a diverse culture. Clothing of India is different from region to region, ethnicity, climate, tradition and festivals. India is diverse in terms of weaves, fiber, color and fabrics. On every festival different religions have different types of clothes. Basically women wear ghagra-choli...

Religion By ADVAITH MANHOLI The Parsis, who immigrated to India from Persia (modern-day Iran), practice Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrianism was founded by the prophet Zoroaster in ancient Persia around the 6th century BCE. It is one of the world's oldest monolithic religions. Monolithic religions are those religions which have unified core beliefs, in the case of Zoroastrianism, it is unified in the beliefs of Ahura Mazda. Zoroastrianism revolves around the key concept of the cosmic struggle that occurs between Good and Evil, and humans are encouraged to choose good over evil as it aligns with being self-right Ahura Mazda (Nusservanji, 1938).  These beliefs may be the catalyst for many Parsi entrepreneurs to be people who are inclined towards societal welfare. When the Parsis arrived in Gujarat, the Parsi leaders met with the local king, Jadhav Rana in order to get permission to settle in his kingdom. In order to gain acceptance, they agreed to adopt some of the local customs and speak ...

HOMELAND By JAYA SRIVALLI BANDI The Parsis, who belong to a Zoroastrian community, migrated to the Indian subcontinent around the 8th century to 10th century AD, there was no mention about the date when they exactly arrived as it is still vague, yet some dates were proposed 716, 765 and 936 . “The exact date of the Parsi migration is unknown. According to tradition, the Parsis initially settled at Hormuz on the Persian Gulf , but finding themselves still persecuted they set sail for India, arriving in the 8th century. The migration may in fact have taken place as late as the 10th century, or in both. They settled first at Diu in Kāthiāwār but soon moved to Gujarāt , where they remained for about 800 years as a small agricultural community.”  (Britanicca & Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2024) They are progeny of the Persian refugees who came to India after the Arab Islamic conquest at Iran. There is a tale named Qissa-i Sanjan which mentions the journey of  Parsis who migra...