 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 61,000 (2012)[1] | |
| Founder | |
| Zarathustra | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Primarily Gujarat and Maharashtra | |
| Scriptures | |
| Avesta | |
| Languages | |
| Gujarati, Hindi, and English[2] |
| Part of a series on |
| Zoroastrianism |
|---|
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 Religion portal |
Zoroastrianism, an Iranian religion, has been present in India for thousands of years.[3] Though it split into a separate branch, it shares a common origin with Hinduism and other Indian religions, having been derived from the Indo-Iranian religion. Though it was once the majority and official religion of the Iranian nation, Zoroastrianism eventually shifted to the Indian subcontinent in light of the Muslim conquest of Iran, which saw the Rashidun Caliphate annex the Sasanian Empire by 651 CE. Owing to the persecution of Zoroastrians in the post-Sasanian period, a large wave of Iranian migrants fled to India, where they became known as the Parsi people, who now represent India's oldest Zoroastrian community. Later waves of Zoroastrian immigration to India took place over the following centuries, with a spike in the number of these refugees occurring during the Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam and again during the reign of the Qajar dynasty, whose persecution of Zoroastrians prompted many to flee to British India, where they became known as the Irani people.[4] Though Zoroastrian, the Parsis and the Iranis are culturally, linguistically, and socially distinct from each other due to their inception in separate periods of migration.
The comparatively liberal atmosphere of India and the protection provided by historical Indian kingdoms to their Zoroastrian subjects enabled the religion to flourish outside of the Iranian plateau. Today, India is home to the largest Zoroastrian population in the world, and despite their overall low population number, Indian Zoroastrians have had a significant impact on India's economy, culture, politics and military, and also played a major role in the Indian independence movement.
- ^ Rivetna, Roshan. "The Zoroastrian World A 2012 Demographic Picture" (PDF). Fezana.org.
- ^ "Anglicisation of the Parsis". Parsi Khabar. 30 April 2006. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
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