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The term 'Parsi' is derived from Parsa, the
name of a province in southwestern Iran in ancient times. The word 'Parsi
' literally means 'a resident of Pars'. It is originally an ethnic term
and later the term acquired a religious connotation also and it was used
for the Zoroastrian residence of the Pars.
Arrival In India And Beginning Of A New Life
According to Parsi lore they spent nineteen years on the island of Diu,
after which they set to sail again and landed in Sanjan situated on the
west coast of India, around 716 AD Or 936 AD. The Hindu rulers of that
region, Jadhav Rana and Jadi Rana granted their request to settle down in
their region.
Hindu's of India were kind to the refugees from Pars. They suffered no
persecution, no fear and were allowed to prosper and grow. They built the
first fire temple in AD 721, installed with due ceremony the holy fire
which they called the "Iranshah" meaning 'the King of Iran'. The
Parsis lived largely peaceful, obscure existences in various villages and
towns of Gujarat as farmers, weavers and carpenters. Parsis were excellent
weavers and they gave India three ancient crafts, namely the 'Surti Ghat',
the 'Garo' and the 'Tanchoi'.
For about three hundred years after landing at Sanjan, Parsis are said to
have lived in peace and without molestation. By that time their numbers
greatly increased and many moved from Sanjan to other parts of India with
their families: to Cambay, Navsari, Anklesvar, Variav, Vankaner and Surat
in the north, and to Thane and Chaul in the south. Some population of
Parsis also settles in the Upper India namely in the regions of Sind,
Dehra-Dun and Punjab.
Spreading Parsian Cultural Heritage
Whenever Parsis left Sanjan to settle elsewhere, they carried a part of
the Iranshah with them-the first fire they had consecrated on Indian soil.
In Sind, Ibrahim the Ghaznavid perceived the Parsis as a colony of
fire-worshippers and attacked them. In Thana, which was ruled by the
Portuguese, they were seen as idolaters and put upon by missionaries to
convert to Christianity.
The Islamic Attack
In 1465 Sanjan was sacked and destroyed by the Muslim Sultanate. Parsis
fought valiantly, side by side with their Hindu benefactors. Many lost
their lives, but the priests managed to rescue the sacred fire and carried
it safely to a cave on a hill, where, protected by jungle and sea, they
guarded it for the next twelve years. Though they didn't completely lose
touch with the Persian language, Gujarati, started to become their mother
tongue. They adopted many Hindu customs. Parsi women dressed like their
Indian counterparts and even wore nose rings.
Later Settlements
Many settled down in the port town of Surat, in Gujarat, where in the
15th century, Europeans mainly the Portuguese, the British and the Dutch
had been given permission by the Mughals to establish trading factories.
Unhampered by caste prejudices, Surat provided an ideal opportunity for
Parsis to engage in occupations that they had never attempted before.
Farmers became traders and chief native agents, and carpenters became
shipbuilders.
An adventurous few left Surat and moved south to Bombay, then only a set
of islands, in the wilderness. Here, they acted as brokers between the
Indians and the Portuguese. Parsis were already a presence in Bombay when
it was ceded by Portugal to England in 1665 and three years later when the
Crown handed over the island to the East India Company.