Parsis

Parsis are an ethnoreligious community descended from Persian Zoroastrians who migrated to the Indian subcontinent, chiefly settling in Gujarat and Mumbai.

Zoroastrianism: An Iranian religion centered on the teachings of Zarathustra and the worship of Ahura Mazda. Parsis preserve Zoroastrian religious traditions brought from Iran.
Ahura Mazda: The supreme deity in Zoroastrianism, associated with wisdom, truth, and the ordering of the world. Parsi worship centers on the Zoroastrian tradition of reverence for Ahura Mazda.
Dadabhai Naoroji: A Parsi scholar and politician who became the first Asian elected to the British House of Commons. His political career made Parsi participation in Indian and British public life highly visible.
Bombay Presidency: A colonial administrative region of British India that included Bombay and much of western India. Its institutions and commercial networks shaped Parsi public life under British rule.
Zoroastrians in Iran: The Zoroastrian community that remained in Iran after the Arab conquest and lives there today. They share the faith but have a distinct history from Parsis in India.
Arab conquest of Persia: The seventh-century Muslim conquest that ended the Sasanian Empire and transformed Iran’s political and religious life. It forms the historical backdrop to traditions about Zoroastrian migration from Iran.
Atash Behram: The highest grade of Zoroastrian fire temple, consecrated through an elaborate ritual process. These temples are among the most important institutions of Parsi religious life.
Jamsetji Tata: An Indian industrialist who founded the Tata Group and helped establish modern Indian industry. His business and institution-building exemplify the community’s influence in Indian commerce.
Bombay Parsi Punchayet: A charitable trust that administers community property and services for Parsis in Mumbai. It remains a major institution in the community’s civic and welfare life.
Gujarati people: An ethnolinguistic population associated with Gujarat and the Gujarati language. Parsis adopted Gujarati language and local customs without becoming identical to Gujaratis as an ethnic community.

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