Global InformationParsis information
 A Parsi Lady (c. 1928) Mahadev V. Dhurandhar | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 India | 57,264[1][2] |
 Canada | 3,630[3][a] |
 Pakistan | 800[4] |
| Languages | |
| Gujarati, Hindi–Urdu, English (Indian dialect or Pakistani dialect), Avestan (liturgical) | |
| Religion | |
| Zoroastrianism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Iranis | |
| Part of a series on |
| Zoroastrianism |
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The Parsis (singular: Parsi /ˈpɑːrsi/)[5] 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 the Persian Empire (part of the early Muslim conquests) to escape religious persecution.[6][7] Parsis are the older of the Indian subcontinent's two Zoroastrian communities, the other being the Iranis, whose ancestors migrated to British-ruled India from Qajar-era Iran. According to a 16th-century Parsi epic, Qissa-i Sanjan, Zoroastrian Persians continued to migrate to the Indian subcontinent from Greater Iran in between the 8th and 10th centuries, and ultimately settled in present-day Gujarat after being granted refuge by a local Hindu king, Jadi Rana.[8][9][10][11]
Prior to the 7th-century fall of the Sassanid Empire to the Rashidun Caliphate, the Iranian mainland (historically known as 'Persia') had a Zoroastrian majority, and Zoroastrianism had served as the Iranian state religion since at least the time of the Achaemenid Empire. Despite the retreat of many Iranians to the Indian subcontinent,[12] a number of Iranian figures remained in active rebellion against the Rashidun army and the later Islamic caliphates for almost 200 years after the Arab conquest.[13] However, the decline of Zoroastrianism in Iran continued, and most Iranians had adopted Islam by the 10th century.
The word Parsi is derived from the Persian language, and literally translates to Persian (پارسی, Pārsi).[14]
The Parsi and Irani communities are the sole ethnoreligious groups practising Zoroastrianism in India. However, owing to the more recent migration of the Irani community to the Indian subcontinent, it is legally differentiated from the Parsi community.[15] Despite this legal distinction, the terms "Parsi" and "Zoroastrian" are commonly utilized interchangeably to denote both communities. Notably, no substantial differences exist between the religious principles, convictions, and customs of Parsis and Irani Zoroastrians.[16][17]
- ^ "Parsi population dips by 22 per cent between 2001-2011: Study". The Hindu. July 25, 2016.
- ^ Dean Nelson. "India's dwindling Parsi population to be boosted with fertility clinics". The Telegraph.
- ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (October 26, 2022). "Religion by visible minority and generation status: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
- ^ "Pakistan: What happened to Zoroastrians in Karachi? – DW – 09/22/2023". Deutsche Welle.
- ^ "Definition of PARSI". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ Skutsch, Carl (November 7, 2013). Encyclopedia of the World's Minorities. Routledge. p. 953. ISBN 978-1-135-19388-1.
- ^ Hinnells, John; Williams, Alan (October 22, 2007). Parsis in India and the Diaspora. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-06751-0.
- ^ Hodivala 1920, p. 88.
- ^ Boyce 2001, p. 148.
- ^ Lambton 1981, p. 205.
- ^ Nigosian 1993, p. 42.
- ^ PARSI COMMUNITIES i. EARLY HISTORY – Encyclopaedia Iranica. Iranicaonline.org (2008-07-20). Retrieved on 2013-07-28.
- ^ Akram, A. I.; al-Mehri, A. B. (September 1, 2009). The Muslim Conquest of Persia. Maktabah Publications. ISBN 978-0-9548665-3-2.
- ^ Parsee, n. and adj. - Oxford English Dictionary. oed.com. Retrieved on 2015-03-03.
- ^ Ganesh, Kamala (2008). "Intra-community Dissent and Dialogue: The Bombay Parsis and the Zoroastrian Diaspora". Sociological Bulletin. 57 (3): 315–336. doi:10.1177/0038022920080301. JSTOR 23620804. S2CID 148248437.
- ^ Dadrawala, Noshir H. (April 13, 2019). "Parsi And Irani Zoroastrians – A Historical Perspective". Parsi Times. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
- ^ "What sets Zoroastrian Iranis apart - Persian Journal Culture Archaeological History Art Archaeology cultural history news & Iranian culture newspaper". www.iranian.ws. December 19, 2007. Archived from the original on December 19, 2007. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
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