SNIPPETS AND LESSONS FROM EARLY PARSI HISTORY

This article provides a brief account of the Parsis after the downfall of the Sasanian Empire at the hands of the Arabs and gives possible reasons as to why only those migrants to the West Coast of India have managed to survive while others have disappeared without trace. In doing so, it is hoped that Parsi communities who have migrated to the West in recent times may learn the secrets of survival from their ancestors.

Meaning of the Term Parsi:

The word "Parsi" literally means "a resident of Parsa", which was a province in the South West region of ancient Iran. It is originally an ethnic term, which later acquired a religious connotation and was used for the Zarathushti residents of Parsa. Emperor Darius the Great (521-486 B.C.) in the famous inscription at Naksh-e-Rustom proclaimed himself a Parsi, a son of a Parsi.

Later, "Parsi" was used particularly for those residents of Iran who remained faithful to their ancestral faith, propagated by Zarathushtra, to distinguish them from those Iranians who discarded their faith and embraced Islam after the Arab conquest of Iran in 641 A.C.E. Since then, the term "Parsi" has been applied to the original residents of Iran and their descendents who did not forsake the faith of Zarathushtra and are now living in Iran, India and elsewhere.

In more recent times, a stronger connection between the terms Parsi and Zarathushti has been established. Western scholars (Spiegel, West, Max Muller), writers and historians (Firdausi, Karaka, Napier, Sykes) have referred to the Zarathushtis of Iran as Parsis. In 1906, the Shah of Iran, while repealing the hated Jizya tax on Iranian Zarathushtis, referred to them as Parsis. More recently, Indian Chief Justice Chagla and Justice M. L. Jain have both ruled that the two terms are synonymous. Justice Jain, while stating that Parsi is a religion, has gone even further and held that "any person who is a Parsi but does not follow the Zarathushti religion is not considered a Parsi". The term Parsi, therefore, automatically means Zarathushti, while the reverse is not true. In the following account, therefore, the term Parsi is used for all original residents of Iran and their descendents who refused to forsake the religion of Zarathushtra.

Parsi Kingdoms and Settlements within Iran in Post-Sasanian Times:

Parsi Kingdoms in Eastern Iran:

Even after the downfall of the Sasanian Empire, there were small independent kingdoms in the mountainous districts of Kuhistan in eastern Iran viz., Mazandaran, Gilan, Tabaristan and Khurasan. The Parsi rulers of these kingdoms were the descendents of the Sasasnian royal family and aristocracy and were called Sipahbads. There existed an effective alliance between these independent rulers. All the highlands were under their control and no one dared enter the highlands from the plains without their permission. Notable among these rulers were Sipahbads Sharwin and his son Shahriyar. They ruled in these districts for about 150 years as gleaned from their coinage bearing Pahalvi legends, which are in existence today.

Parsi Kingdoms in Mount Demavand:

A dynasty of Zarathushti priests, known as Masmoghan - Chief of the Mobeds or Magis, ruled in the mountainous district of Tabaristan during Sasanian times and thereafter as independent rulers under Bav, who later retired himself into a fire temple. These mountainous kingdoms, also called Koh s, were highly fortified and almost impenetrable. An account from an anonymous book written in 982 mentions the Kuh-I-Qarin containing over ten thousand very prosperous Parsi villages.

Although there are reports that the kingdoms in Mount Demavand were completely routed in the mid-fourteenth century, there is a strong belief held by many Parsis of India today that these Magis, now called Saheb-e-Delans, still exist in these mountains. These highly evolved personages periodically give audience, passing on their ancient religious teachings to selected Parsis. One such person was Mr. Behramshah Navroji Shroff of Surat, who had an audience with these Magis during the latter part of the nineteenth century.

In the Mountains of Kerman:

A chain of seven mountains, stretching from the sea to the city of Jiruft, was known as the mountains of Kerman. The Muslim rulers did not have a representative in these Parsi communities; instead the chief collected the dreaded "jizya" tax for their rulers. The inhabitants developed a special language (spoken only), known as Dari, which could not be understood by anyone outside their community.

Parsi Kingdoms and Settlements Outside Iran in Post-Sasanian Times:

Parsi Kings in China:

After the murder of Yazdgard III, the last Sasanian Emperor in 652 A.C.E., his son Piroj, proclaimed himself king of Iran and took refuge in exile in the mountains of Tokharistan in Central Asia then under Chinese rule. The Chinese Emperor recognized Piroj as the king of Iran. Later, Piroj went to China and served as a captain in the Chinese army and built a fire-temple in China in 677 A.C.E. His son, Narsi, also lived in Tokharistan and later went to China in 707 A.C.E. The historian and writer, Masudi, recorded in 916 A.C.E., that there were Parsis living in China who worshipped in fire-temples. These early Parsi migrants to China have been totally assimilated into the local population.

Parsi Migration to India:

In ancient times, Iran had come into political, cultural and trade-relations with practically all nations of the ancient world including India and China. During Sasanian times, Parsis were living in China, Central Asia, Pakistan (Sind and Punjab), northern India (Punjab) and western India (Saurashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat). Apart from occasional archaeological relics discovered from time to time signifying they once lived there, there is no trace of these early settlers.

The ancestors of the present Indian-Pakistani Parsi community migrated to India after the downfall of the Sasanian Empire. A single date of this Parsi migration is not known, since it must have occurred over many years. Dates anywhere from 716 to 936 A.C.E. have been mentioned in various historical accounts.

The Settlement in Sanjan:

According to the traditional account recorded in the Kisseh Sanjan, after the Arab conquest of Iran, the ancestors of the present Indian Parsis took refuge in the mountainous districts of Kohistan in Khorasan for about 100 years. They spent about 15 years in the port city of Hormuzd on the southern coast of Iran, possibly contemplating migration. They finally left Hormuzd by the sea route and landed in India on the island of Div in southern Saurashtra. They stayed in Div for about 19 years, and thereafter, most probably due to the growing threat of an Arab invasion, left Div and settled on the west coast of India, near the place later to be known as Sanjan about 145 kilometers north of Mumbai.

There is again no evidence whatsoever as to how many immigrants actually came via the sea route. There is some evidence that the immigrants came with their families. Some accounts state that about 18,000 Parsis came in seven junks, five of them landing in Div, one at Variav near Surat and one at Cambay in Gujarat. Subsequently, more Parsis migrated from Iran and landed at various places on the West Coast of India. These various and gradual migrations might be the cause of inconsistency and confusion regarding the date of arrival and the landing place.

The local Hindu Rajah, known as Jadi Rana, permitted the Parsis to settle in his kingdom and gave them a vacant area in which they could establish their colony. Tradition states that the Parsis named their new settlement "Sanjan", after the cities bearing the same name in Iran. They installed their Holy Fire, whom they named Iranshah or the King of Iran.

Invasion of Sanjan and Subsequent Migrations within Gujarat:

After 700 years of peaceful and prosperous stay in Sanjan, the Hindu kingdom was invaded by a fanatical Muslim named Sultan Mahmud Begada of Ahmedabad. About 1400 Parsis joined the army of the Hindu Rajah and fought valiantly to rid their land of the Muslim invader. Unfortunately, the Rajah s army was defeated and Sanjan was destroyed, the Parsis suffering much loss of life.

Those Parsis who survived the attack on Sanjan gradually migrated to other places within Gujarat and the West Coast. Their important settlements besides Sanjan were Navsari, Surat, Vankaner, Variav, Ansleshvar, Bharuch and Cambay to the north of Sanjan and Thana to the south.

The Establishment of Panthaks or Diocesan Jurisdictions:

Around 1290 A.C.E., the Parsi priests assembled in council and established boundaries for the following five Panthaks serving the migrants on the West coast.