Ramesheditor: improved section for consistency also and added references

2026-03-22T18:05:13Z

improved section for consistency also and added references

WikiDwarfBOT: Cleanup: Information added.

2023-07-21T22:14:46Z

Cleanup: Information added.

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:44, 22 July 2023
Line 1:		Line 1:
	{{Short description\|Zoroastrian community in the Indian subcontinent ~~descended from Persian migrants~~}}		{{Short description\|Zoroastrian community in the Indian subcontinent}}
	{{About\|a Zoroastrian community in the Indian subcontinent\|the Persian people\|Persians\|the Persian language\|Persian language\|other uses\|Parsi (disambiguation)}}		{{About\|a Zoroastrian community in the Indian subcontinent\|the Persian people\|Persians\|the Persian language\|Persian language\|other uses\|Parsi (disambiguation)}}
	{{Use mdy dates\|date=June 2016}}		{{Use mdy dates\|date=June 2016}}
Line 15:		Line 15:
	\| related_groups = [[Irani (India)\|Iranis]]		\| related_groups = [[Irani (India)\|Iranis]]
	\| popplace =		\| popplace =
	\| region1 = ~~{{flag\|~~India}}		\| region1 = [[India]]
	\| region2 = ~~{{flag\|~~Pakistan}}		\| region2 = [[Pakistan]]
	\| pop1 = 69,000 (2014)<ref>(26 November 2014). "[http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201411261418-0024380 India's declining Parsi population]". ''Al Jazeera''.</ref>		\| pop1 = 69,000 (2014)<ref>(26 November 2014). "[http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201411261418-0024380 India's declining Parsi population]". ''Al Jazeera''.</ref>
	\| pop2 = 1,092 (2016)		\| pop2 = 1,092 (2016)
Line 30:		Line 30:
	The word ''Parsi'' is derived from the [[Persian language]], and literally translates to ''Persian'' ({{Lang-fa\|پارسیان\|translit=Pārsiān\|label=none}});<ref>[http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/138161 Parsee, n. and adj. - Oxford English Dictionary]. oed.com. Retrieved on 2015-03-03.</ref> an [[Arabization\|Arabized]] form of the word ({{Lang-fa\|فارسی\|translit=Fārsī\|label=none}}) is used in Persian-speaking regions as an endonym for the Persian language.		The word ''Parsi'' is derived from the [[Persian language]], and literally translates to ''Persian'' ({{Lang-fa\|پارسیان\|translit=Pārsiān\|label=none}});<ref>[http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/138161 Parsee, n. and adj. - Oxford English Dictionary]. oed.com. Retrieved on 2015-03-03.</ref> an [[Arabization\|Arabized]] form of the word ({{Lang-fa\|فارسی\|translit=Fārsī\|label=none}}) is used in Persian-speaking regions as an endonym for the Persian language.

	The Parsi and Irani communities are the sole ethnoreligious groups practicing [[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.<ref>{{Cite journal\|last=Ganesh\|first=Kamala\|date=2008\|title=Intra-community Dissent and Dialogue: The Bombay Parsis and the Zoroastrian Diaspora\|journal=Sociological Bulletin\|volume=57\|issue=3 \|pages=315–336\|doi=10.1177/0038022920080301\|jstor=23620804\|s2cid=148248437}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Dadrawala \|first=Noshir H. \|date=2019-04-13 \|title=Parsi And Irani Zoroastrians – A Historical Perspective \|url=https://parsi-times.com/2019/04/parsi-and-irani-zoroastrians-a-historical-perspective/ \|access-date=2023-03-02 \|website=Parsi Times \|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web \|date=2007-12-19 \|title=What sets Zoroastrian Iranis apart - Persian Journal Culture Archaeological History Art Archaeology cutlural history news & Iranian cutlure newspaper \|url=http://www.iranian.ws/cgi-bin/iran_news/exec/view.cgi/5/12134 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071219092207/http://www.iranian.ws/cgi-bin/iran_news/exec/view.cgi/5/12134 \|archive-date=2007-12-19 \|url-status=dead \|access-date=2023-03-02 \|website=www.iranian.ws}}</ref>		The Parsi and Irani communities are the sole ethnoreligious groups practicing [[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.<ref>{{Cite journal\|last=Ganesh\|first=Kamala\|date=2008\|title=Intra-community Dissent and Dialogue: The Bombay Parsis and the Zoroastrian Diaspora\|journal=Sociological Bulletin\|volume=57\|issue=3 \|pages=315–336\|doi=10.1177/0038022920080301\|jstor=23620804\|s2cid=148248437}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Dadrawala \|first=Noshir H. \|date=2019-04-13 \|title=Parsi And Irani Zoroastrians – A Historical Perspective \|url=https://parsi-times.com/2019/04/parsi-and-irani-zoroastrians-a-historical-perspective/ \|access-date=2023-03-02 \|website=Parsi Times \|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web \|date=2007-12-19 \|title=What sets Zoroastrian Iranis apart - Persian Journal Culture Archaeological History Art Archaeology cutlural history news & Iranian cutlure newspaper \|url=http://www.iranian.ws/cgi-bin/iran_news/exec/view.cgi/5/12134 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071219092207/http://www.iranian.ws/cgi-bin/iran_news/exec/view.cgi/5/12134 \|archive-date=2007-12-19 \|url-status=dead \|access-date=2023-03-02 \|website=www.iranian.ws}}</ref>

	== Definition and identity ==		== Definition and identity ==
	According to the [[Encyclopædia Britannica]],<blockquote>Parsi, also spelled Parsee, member of a group of followers in India of the Persian prophet [[Zoroaster]]. The Parsis, whose name means "Persians", are descended from Persian Zoroastrians who emigrated to India to avoid religious persecution by the Muslims. They live chiefly in Mumbai and in a few towns and villages mostly to the south of Mumbai, but also a few minorities nearby in Karachi (Pakistan) and Chennai. There is a sizeable Parsee population in Pune as well in Bangalore. A few Parsee families also reside in Kolkata and Hyderabad. Although they are not, strictly speaking, a caste, since they are not Hindus, they form a well-defined community. The exact date of the Parsi migration is unknown. According to tradition, the Parsis initially settled at Hormuz on the [[Persian Gulf]] but finding themselves still persecuted they set sail for India, arriving in the 8th century. The migration may, in fact, have taken place as late as the 10th century, or in both. They settled first at [[Diu, India\|Diu]] in [[Kathiawar]] but soon moved to South Gujarāt, where they remained for about 800 years as a small agricultural community.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia \|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/444672/Parsi \|title=Parsi (people) \|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica \|access-date=2013-07-28}}</ref></blockquote>		According to the ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'',<blockquote>Parsi, also spelled Parsee, member of a group of followers in India of the Persian prophet [[Zoroaster]]. The Parsis, whose name means "Persians", are descended from Persian Zoroastrians who emigrated to India to avoid religious persecution by the Muslims. They live chiefly in Mumbai and in a few towns and villages mostly to the south of Mumbai, but also a few minorities nearby in Karachi (Pakistan) and Chennai. There is a sizeable Parsee population in Pune as well in Bangalore. A few Parsee families also reside in Kolkata and Hyderabad. Although they are not, strictly speaking, a caste, since they are not Hindus, they form a well-defined community. The exact date of the Parsi migration is unknown. According to tradition, the Parsis initially settled at Hormuz on the [[Persian Gulf]] but finding themselves still persecuted they set sail for India, arriving in the 8th century. The migration may, in fact, have taken place as late as the 10th century, or in both. They settled first at [[Diu, India\|Diu]] in [[Kathiawar]] but soon moved to South Gujarāt, where they remained for about 800 years as a small agricultural community.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia \|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/444672/Parsi \|title=Parsi (people) \|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica \|access-date=2013-07-28}}</ref></blockquote>

	The term ''Pārsi'', which in the Persian language is a [[demonym]] meaning "inhabitant of [[Fars Province\|Pārs]]" and hence "ethnic Persian", is not attested in Indian Zoroastrian texts until the 17th century. Until that time, such texts consistently use the Persian-origin terms ''Zartoshti'' "Zoroastrian" or ''Vehdin'' "[of] the good religion". The 12th-century ''Sixteen [[Shloka]]s'', a [[Sanskrit]] text in praise of the Parsis,<ref>Parsi legend attributes it to a Hindu author; [[cf.]] {{Harvard citation no brackets\|Paymaster\|1954\|p=8}} incorrectly attributes the text to a Zoroastrian priest</ref> is the earliest attested use of the term as an identifier for Indian Zoroastrians.		The term ''Pārsi'', which in the Persian language is a [[demonym]] meaning "inhabitant of [[Fars Province\|Pārs]]" and hence "ethnic Persian", is not attested in Indian Zoroastrian texts until the 17th century. Until that time, such texts consistently use the Persian-origin terms ''Zartoshti'' "Zoroastrian" or ''Vehdin'' "[of] the good religion". The 12th-century ''Sixteen [[Shloka]]s'', a [[Sanskrit]] text in praise of the Parsis,<ref>Parsi legend attributes it to a Hindu author; [[cf.]] {{Harvard citation no brackets\|Paymaster\|1954\|p=8}} incorrectly attributes the text to a Zoroastrian priest</ref> is the earliest attested use of the term as an identifier for Indian Zoroastrians.

	[[File:Indian - Leaf from Bound Collection of 20 Miniatures Depicting Village Life - Walters 35176H.jpg\|thumb\|Parsis from India, c. 1870]]		[[File:Indian - Leaf from Bound Collection of 20 Miniatures Depicting Village Life - Walters 35176H.jpg\|thumb\|Parsis from India, c. 1870]]
	The first reference to the Parsis in a European language is from 1322, when a French monk, [[Jordanus]], briefly refers to their presence in [[Thane]] and [[Bharuch]]. Subsequently, the term appears in the journals of many European travelers, first French and Portuguese, later English, all of whom used a Europeanized version of an apparently local language term. For example, Portuguese physician [[Garcia de Orta]] observed in 1563 that "there are merchants ... in the kingdom of [[Khambhat\|Cambaia]] ... known as Esparcis. We Portuguese call them Jews, but they are not so. They are [[Gentile\|Gentios]]." In an early 20th-century legal ruling (see [[#Self-perceptions\|self-perceptions]], below), Justices Davar and Beaman asserted (1909:540) that "Parsi" was also a term used in Iran to refer to Zoroastrians.{{sfn\|Stausberg\|2002\|p=I.373}}{{sfn\|Boyce\|2002\|p=105}} notes that in much the same way as the word "Hindu" was used by Iranians to refer to anyone from the Indian subcontinent, "Parsi" was used by the Indians to refer to anyone from Greater Iran, irrespective of whether they were actually ethnic Persian people. In any case, the term "Parsi" itself is "not necessarily an indication of their Iranian or 'Persian' origin, but rather as indicator – manifest as several properties – of ethnic identity".{{sfn\|Stausberg\|2002\|p=I. 373}} Moreover, if heredity were the only factor in a determination of ethnicity, the Parsis would count as [[Parthia]]ns according to the ''Qissa-i Sanjan''.{{sfn\|Boyce\|2002\|p=105}}		The first reference to the Parsis in a European language is from 1322, when a French monk, [[Jordanus]], briefly refers to their presence in [[Thane]] and [[Bharuch]]. Subsequently, the term appears in the journals of many European travelers, first French and Portuguese, later English, all of whom used a Europeanized version of an apparently local language term. For example, Portuguese physician [[Garcia de Orta]] observed in 1563 that "there are merchants ... in the kingdom of [[Khambhat\|Cambaia]] ... known as Esparcis. We [[Portuguese Empire\|Portuguese]] call them Jews, but they are not so. They are [[Gentile\|Gentios]]." In an early 20th-century legal ruling (see [[#Self-perceptions\|self-perceptions]], below), Justices Davar and Beaman asserted (1909:540) that "Parsi" was also a term used in Iran to refer to [[Zoroastrianism\|Zoroastrians]].{{sfn\|Stausberg\|2002\|p=I.373}}{{sfn\|Boyce\|2002\|p=105}} notes that in much the same way as the word "Hindu" was used by Iranians to refer to anyone from the Indian subcontinent, "Parsi" was used by the Indians to refer to anyone from Greater Iran, irrespective of whether they were actually ethnic Persian people. In any case, the term "Parsi" itself is "not necessarily an indication of their Iranian or 'Persian' origin, but rather as indicator – manifest as several properties – of ethnic identity".{{sfn\|Stausberg\|2002\|p=I. 373}} Moreover, if heredity were the only factor in a determination of ethnicity, the Parsis would count as [[Parthia]]ns according to the ''Qissa-i Sanjan''.{{sfn\|Boyce\|2002\|p=105}}

	The term "Parseeism" or "Parsiism", is attributed to [[Abraham Hyacinthe Anquetil-Duperron]], who in the 1750s, when the word "Zoroastrianism" had yet to be coined, made the first detailed report of the Parsis and of Zoroastrianism, therein mistakenly assuming that the Parsis were the only remaining followers of the religion.		The term "Parseeism" or "Parsiism", is attributed to [[Abraham Hyacinthe Anquetil-Duperron]], who in the 1750s, when the word "Zoroastrianism" had yet to be coined, made the first detailed report of the Parsis and of Zoroastrianism, therein mistakenly assuming that the Parsis were the only remaining followers of the religion.
Line 75:		Line 75:
	This definition was overturned several times. The equality principles of the [[Constitution of India\|Indian Constitution]] void the [[patrilineality\|patrilineal]] restrictions expressed in the third clause. The second clause was contested and overturned in 1948.<ref>{{Citation \|last=Sarwar Merwan Yezdiar v. Merwan Rashid Yezdiar \|year=1948 \|title=Parsi Matrimonial Court \|publisher=Justice Coyaji}}</ref> On appeal in 1950, the 1948 ruling was upheld and the entire 1909 definition was deemed an [[obiter dictum]] – a collateral opinion and not legally binding (re-affirmed in 1966).<ref name="Jamshed Irani v. Banu Irani"/><ref>{{Citation \|last=Merwan Rashid Yezdiar v. Sarwar Merwan Yezdiar \|year=1950 \|title=52 blr 876 \|publisher=Justices Chagla and Gajendragadkar}}</ref>)		This definition was overturned several times. The equality principles of the [[Constitution of India\|Indian Constitution]] void the [[patrilineality\|patrilineal]] restrictions expressed in the third clause. The second clause was contested and overturned in 1948.<ref>{{Citation \|last=Sarwar Merwan Yezdiar v. Merwan Rashid Yezdiar \|year=1948 \|title=Parsi Matrimonial Court \|publisher=Justice Coyaji}}</ref> On appeal in 1950, the 1948 ruling was upheld and the entire 1909 definition was deemed an [[obiter dictum]] – a collateral opinion and not legally binding (re-affirmed in 1966).<ref name="Jamshed Irani v. Banu Irani"/><ref>{{Citation \|last=Merwan Rashid Yezdiar v. Sarwar Merwan Yezdiar \|year=1950 \|title=52 blr 876 \|publisher=Justices Chagla and Gajendragadkar}}</ref>)

	There is a growing voice within the community that if indeed equality must be re-established then the only acceptable solution is to allow a child to be initiated into the faith only if both parents are Parsi.		There is a growing voice within the community that if indeed equality must be re-established then the only acceptable solution is to allow a child to be initiated into the faith only if both parents are Parsi.{{citation needed\|date=May 2023}}

	Nonetheless, the opinion that the 1909 ruling is legally binding continues to persist, even among the better-read and moderate Parsis.		Nonetheless, the opinion that the 1909 ruling is legally binding continues to persist, even among the better-read and moderate Parsis.
Line 539:		Line 539:

	== External links ==		== External links ==
	~~{{Commons category}}~~
	~~{{Wikiquote}}~~
	{{EB1911 poster\|Parsees}}		{{EB1911 poster\|Parsees}}
	* {{Curlie\|/Society/Ethnicity/Asian/Southern/Parsi/}}		* {{Curlie\|/Society/Ethnicity/Asian/Southern/Parsi/}}

Bot: robot: Creating/updating articles

2023-03-15T22:22:01Z

robot: Creating/updating articles

Show changes

Parsis - Revision history

Ramesheditor: improved section for consistency also and added references

WikiDwarfBOT: Cleanup: Information added.

Bot: robot: Creating/updating articles