Living legacy, one room at a timeAnil Mulchandani | New Indian ExpressStanding discreetly in Gujarat’s historic town...
Heritage Articles
Looking for Parsi footprints in Delhi
From Kashmere Gate to South Delhi, the city's Parsi community marks 100 years of influence across the national...
Mahatma Gandhi’s Respect for the Parsis
via email from Maneck Bhujwala distributed to a newsgroup. Mahatma Gandhi had great respect for all communities and religions, including that of the Parsi Zarthushtis. Some examples that come to...
Irani Hotels in Bangalore: “No leg on chair”
BANGALORE: A long time ago, in the 19th century, Zoroastraian Iranians came to India, to carve out a place for themselves and start a better life, only issue being they were extremely short on...
Let first Nano drive out of Navsari
NAVSARI: The joy of Nano driving into Gujarat is even more pronounced in small town Navsari, birthplace of Jamsetji Tata. Elated Parsis here feel this shifting of gears from Singur, is a perfect...
The Parsis of South Bombay
By Aakar Patel No Indian community internalised the civilising mission of the British as did the Parsis. Only 50,000 remain, mainly in South Bombay, the most disciplined and cultured part of India....
Alls Well: Bhikha Behram Well in Fort Mumbai
The Parsi community may not be the biggest in terms of numbers, but when it comes to culture and heritage they have plenty to offer. The Bhika Behram Well in Fort, a Grade I heritage structure, is...
The journey of the holy fire
India’s western coastline boasts of vast stretches of untouched beaches dotted with gently swaying palm and coconut trees. It is also home to several imposing forts that have been witness to several...
Significance of Sudreh and Kusti
Sudra is a special shirt of nine seams worn just next to the skin made of cotton and white in colour and prepared from one whole piece of...
Fire temples burn bright
47 Parsi fire temples have finally made it to the heritage list. Labonita Ghosh looks at the struggle that led to this and some of the more unique agiaries that will find protection from rapacious...
Sacred Space: Parsi New Year
On Ahura Mazda Ahura means the Lord Creator, and Mazda means Supremely Wise. This was the name by which Zarathushtra addressed his God. He proclaimed that there is only one God, who is the singular...
The First Dastur Meherji Rana
The below is an article from a newslist. This is a chapter written by Noshir H. Dadrewala. Earlier we errenously mentioned that the author was not known. We apologize for the error. The first Dastur...
Navroze Mubarak! Time for hugs and cheers
Parsis from all over the country throng Udwada in Gujarat to celebrate new year at the oldest fire temple in the country, reports Mahafreed Irani Known for their stylish get-ups and hairdos, the...
Satara Agiary: The tale of a fire temple and two families
The agiary may not attract many devotees, but those that come are full of faith SATARA: Situated in the heart of the district town of Satara, some 300 km from Mumbai, stands a grand old Parsi fire...
Iran: A Call to the Emperor
Recently we linked to a National Geographic article on Persia. Here is a further analysis of the same by regular Parsi Khabar reader Zubin Wadia National Geographic (awesome photos) ran a story on...
Heritage status: Parsis pen support for BMC’s plan
The development plan department of the BMC has received nearly 3,000 letters from Zoroastrians all over the world in support of an official proposal to list the 47 fire temples in the city under the...
Persia: Ancient Soul of Iran
The August 2008 issue of the National Geographic has "Persia: Ancient Soul of Iran" as its cover story. I just finished reading the printed issue. The photographs as usual are fantastic. The stories...
The Last Parsis: Tales of Survival and Extinction
Kaevan Umrigar, a filmmaker, and good friend of Parsi Khabar runs his own blog. His latest article in on Uran Next on my itinerary was Mora Bunder at Uran, a small fishing village across the harbour...
Aslaji Agiary Trustees in a Legal Battle
Grant Rd agiary caught between two sets of trustees Aslaji Bhikhaji Agiary’s trustees are embroiled in a legal battle over control of the temple management and funds One of the most frequented Parsi...
Soon, heritage status for fire temples
Mumbai, July 3 47 Parsi structures, including 4 Atash Behrams, in city’s heritage list Parsis across the city were cheering on Thursday when, after a long battle that has lasted over six years,...
Mcleodganj’s famous Parsi shop on its last legs
One of the oldest landmarks of this town, the Nowrojee General Merchants shop set up in 1860, is taking a beating from time. Owned by a Parsi family, it is almost on its last legs commercially and...
Zoroastrian Information Center at Udvada: Speech by Dasturji Mirza
This is a brief report on the speech given by Dasturji Dr. Peshotan Dastur Hormazdyar Mirza at the launch of the Zoroastrian Information Center at Udvada, Adar roj, Adar mah, YZ 1377, April 24,...
Eeda Par Agiary
Eggs and toddy jars for a fire temple? The good-life-loving Parsis are not finicky about mixing the sacred and the secular. Still, I was intrigued by the E&T detail in Nauzer Bharucha's report on...
Fire temple enters its 300th year
24 Apr 2008, 0434 hrs IST,Nauzer Bharucha,TNN MUMBAI: For the past few centuries, they have been one of Mumbai's most important religious and architectural landmarks. On Thursday, the city's oldest...
Ancient game boards and compass discovered in southern Iran
Archaeological studies on some engravings on rocks on Khark Island have identified them as a compass and ancient game boards. The engravings are between 2000 and 3000 years old, archaeologist Reza...
Around the World in 53 months
Recently we reported about the launching of the book that chronicles the bicycle trip around the world by Parsi cyclists. Below is an article by Ervad Marzban Hathiram, a good friend of the Parsi...
Making statues smile
Statues make it to the news in Mumbai mostly when miscreants use them to stoke trouble in the city. At other times, they stand on busy road junctions or watch dusty playgrounds, derelict and often...
The Tomb of Cyrus in Danger of Fungus and Lichen
What experts have warned and feared for the past few years about the humidity level at the world heritage site of Pasargadae after the inundation of Sivand dam, has now become a bitter reality as...
Khada Parsi may stand elsewhere
Away from the noise and pollution in Byculla, BMC plans to shift the century-old statue to Five Gardens The landmark Khada Parsi statue may find a new home at Five Gardens near Dadar. The statue now...
One Last Creak
The vestibule of a middle-aged building at Princess Street creaks with the sounds of broken bones. It also sings with the prattle of restless patients. Who knew a Parsi bone-setter saw so much...
New class at Stanford explores Zoroastrianism
New class explores ancient religion Popular faiths rooted in Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism, the world’s oldest revealed religion, is the focus of an introductory course this quarter taught by...
Iran Plans on Destroying Tomb of King Cyrus, Friend of the Jews
Iran is planning on submerging the tomb of King Cyrus (Coresh), the Persian King known for authorizing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Holy Temple. According to a report by...
UP Parsis Have only One Mobed
The Parsi community is facing a unique problem. With only one Parsi priest left in the state, the community is facing difficulties in performing religious rituals. Such is the situation that now...
Among the Zoroastrians
The Washington Post has a great feature titled “Among the Zoroastrians” Jackie Lyden vividly brings out the culture and lives of the few Zoroastrians still living in the desert plateau of Yazd,...
Indian Parsis seek NCM’s help to dispose of dead
NEW DELHI: India's official National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has come to the rescue of the tiny Parsi community, which is worried over the disposal of their dead because of the dwindling...
Khada Parsi statue at Flora Fountain set to get facelift
The Khada Parsi, the statue of Shet Cursetjee Manockjee erected in the memory of the illustrious Parsi in the 1860s, was made to order after his youngest son Manockjee Cursetjee shelled out Rs...
Dwindling numbers: Parsis at the fire temple in Secunderabad.
HYDERABAD: In a bid to understand the genetic factors, which are apparently leading to high incidence of various kinds of ailments among members of the Parsi community, a project named...
With courage let us all combine
Friyana Billimoria - Friyana Billimoria, in year 11 at Kingswood College, Box Hill, is Youth Ambassador for the Metropolis Migration works if everyone embraces it wholeheartedly. MANY centuries ago,...
Bawas of Bambai rejoice!
The objective of the event was to bring the youth together, put the community resources to use and give the young blood a platform to a world of opportunities. Architect Jimmy Mistry's NGO Parsi...
Experts to determine fate of Naqsh-e Rustam
Experts to determine fate of Naqsh-e Rustam TEHRAN, Sept. 23 (MNA) -- A week-long study by experts will determine the fate of the Achaemenid site of Naqsh-e Rustam in southern Iran's Fars Province....
Kangelu Fortress waterproofed for Anahita rituals
Archaeologists surmise Kangelu Fortress waterproofed for Anahita rituals A team of Iranian archaeologists working on the Kangelu Fortress in northern Iran's Mazandaran Province have put forward the...
Railway Construction near Naqsh-e Rostam Stopped
Following strong oppositions made by Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) with construction of railway near Naqsh-e Rostam, security guard of ICHHTO has stopped...
Powai’s ‘Parsi’ Connection
Originally published on PLANET POWAI [Article Link] The renowned site where Powai Lake stands known as Framaji Kavasji was Powai Estate. It was in 1890 that the Britishers dug out the lake at a cost...
A World Of Silence
A friend recently attended the last journey of a Parsi friend and noted how a Parsi funeral was so peaceful, had a sense of calm, but in the same breath she wondered whether this kind of 'quiet'...
Ancient Persian influence on Hinduism
Ruby Lilaowala | Friday, August 17, 2007 10:28:58 IST The Aryan settlers who lived in Persia and later, in India, had a lot in common by way of phonetics, language, spirituality and reverence for...
Zoroastrian Fires and Temples
Standing before a sacred fire, Zoroastrians pay homage to a creation that represents life and the power of Ahura Mazda. There are three kinds of sacred fires in Zoroastrianism, each standing for one...
Celebrating Parsi New Year
BY Rakshande Italia If I cherished one special day during the year, besides my birthday, it was the New Year - not Jan. 1, but a day in August when members of my tiny Zoroastrian community in...
Naqsh-E-Rustom In Danger Due to Railway Track Construction
Despite all oppositions made so far by Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) against construction of Isfahan-Shiraz railway only in 500-meter distance of Naqsh-e...
The Story of Polson Butter
It is a quirk of technology that occasionally, instead of advancing as usual, it gets stuck at a certain stage. The QWERTY keyboard is the best example, a layout of letters that made sense for a...
Conversation From Karachi
Talking to 80-year-old Dhanjishae H. Munderji, an occupant of the he Parsi general hospital, over a cup of tea, turned out to be quite an elucidating experience. Speaking on a host of issues, we...
Taking pride in caring for elders
The ageing of population is inevitable and an obvious consequence of the process of demographic transition. However, as the country faces a steady growth of the elderly, facilities or institutions...
Rolling in gold but still poverty-stricken
IN 1865, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata - a one-time opium trader and scion of a sparkling line of Parsee priests, Zoroastrians who had fled to western India from persecution in Iran - attended a lecture...