Zoroastrianism (or Parsi Religion in India):

(a) A brief history of Zoroastrianism: With a history of almost three thousand years, Zoroastrianism is one of the most ancient living religions. It is the most important and best known religion of ancient, or pre-Islamic, Iran. The roots of Zoroastrianism can be located in an Eastern Iranian, tribal, and basically pastoral society. The religion originated around 1000 B. C. and further under the first Iranian empire.

Zoroastrianism takes its name from that of its founder, Zarathushtra (or Zoroaster), who probably lived around the beginning of the first millennium B. C. The story narrated about his birth in the Zoroastrian texts is that when the world had fallen into the hands of evil people, Mother Earth appeared before the Almighty in the shape of a cow. She requested the Lord to save her from the evil that had spread. Then, the Lord said he would send down a hero named Zarathushtra who would rescue her. Soon after, the story goes, in the city of Rae, in Iran, a son was born to Prince Pourushaspa. He was named Spitama, who later became Zarathushtra. Because the Prince suspected that tyrant chiefs might kill the child, he sent him to his mother's father's house, where he grew up. Spitama began to preach at the age of fifteen, and his preaching constitutes the central body of Zoroastrianism.

(b) Mazdaism or Ahura Mazda: Another name of Zoroastrianism is Mazdaism. It is derived from the name of Mazda (Wise') or Ahura Mazda (Wise God'), who is regarded in Zoroastrianism as the Creator of the whole universe. Zoroastrians believe that there is but one God. They say: Everything emanates from Ahura Mazda and merges back to Him at the end.' Ahura Mazda is formless. The characteristics of the Lord and the teachings of Zarathushtra are contained in texts called gathas.

(c) The Place of Earth and Fire in Zoroastrianism: The earth has a significant place in Zoroastrianism. She is regarded as the mother who sustains all human beings. During life, the Zoroastrian is in her charge, and after death, he returns to her. Fire (atar) is an outward symbol of Zoroastrians. Zarathushtra taught the Iranians to worship fire as the purest and holiest of God's creation. This is the reason why Zoroastrians do not burn their dead, because contact with the dead and decaying body would pollute the holy fire.

(d) Disposal of the dead by the Parsis: The followers of Zoroastrianism (or by the Parsis) is noteworthy. They neither bury the corpse nor throw it in water. So, they build walled-in-platforms of masonry, open to the sky. Known as the Towers of Silence (dakhamas), it is here that the corpse is exposed, which the birds eat away. The bones crumble by the action of sun, rain and wind. The bone-dust is deposited into the large pit in the centre of the tower, where all people of different classes, at last mingle together in the bosom of Mother Earth.

(e) Arrival of Zoroastrianism and present position of Parsis in India: The followers of Zoroastrianism, called Parsis, came to India about the eighth century A. D. They constitute a small community in India, having a population of around one lakh individuals, settled mostly in the western part. Some of their families have attained great industrial success, like that of the Tatas. Most aspects of the Parsi culture, apart from their religious rites, are like that of the other trading communities of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Since the mid-nineteenth century, Parsis have been the leaders of India's modernization. Other modernizing groups in their region and elsewhere in the country emulate their example.