IOverview
Irani is the name used in India for Zoroastrians who came from Iran under the Qajar dynasty, mostly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The name distinguishes them from the Parsis, who had reached Gujarat more than a thousand years earlier.
The two groups share one faith and the Avesta, and worship in the same fire temples. The differences lie in migration history, language and some customs. English Wikipedia describes the Iranis as culturally, linguistically and socially distinct from the Parsis, though the two communities increasingly intermarry and have largely integrated.
IIHistory of Migration
Under the Qajars, Zoroastrians in Yazd and Kerman lived in poverty and faced discrimination, paying a special tax on non-Muslims until 1882. Meanwhile the Parsis of Bombay had prospered through trade under British rule and began to help their co-religionists in Iran. Together these opened the way to migration: families and groups of young men left Yazd and Kerman for Bombay, Pune and other cities of western India. According to English Wikipedia, most arrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
- 19th c.Hardship under the QajarsBelievers in Yazd and Kerman face a special tax and many restrictions.
- 1854Parsis begin aiding Iran's communityManekji Limji Hataria is sent to Iran.
- Late 19th to early 20th c.Main wave of migrationMany families move from Yazd and Kerman to Bombay.
- 1909Court observationA ruling notes that Iranis are not bound by decisions of the Parsi Panchayat.
IIIDistinctive Features
In doctrine the Iranis do not differ from the Parsis. What sets them apart is cultural:
- Language. Many Iranis still speak Persian and the Dari dialect of Iran's Zoroastrians, whereas Parsis speak Gujarati.
- Custom. They brought the food, festivals and way of life of their homeland, closer to the community in Iran than to the Parsis.
- Legal standing. According to English Wikipedia, a court observation in 1909 held that Iranis were not bound by decisions of the Parsi Panchayat, treating them as a distinct community.
Misconception: the Iranis are a different sect from the Parsis. In fact: they are two communities of the same faith, differing in when they left Iran and in culture. Note too that in India the word Irani sometimes also covers Muslims of Iranian origin. This page covers Zoroastrian Iranis only.
IVDaily Life and the Irani Café
In religious life, Iranis worship at the fire temples and agiaries of Bombay like the Parsis, undergo initiation, wear the sudreh and kusti, and keep the five prayer periods. Their most visible mark on city life, though, is the Irani café: high ceilings, black bentwood chairs, marble-topped tables, big mirrors on the walls, Persian-style buns and milky tea. According to English Wikipedia, Mumbai had about 350 such cafés in the 1950s and only 25 by 2005. Those that remain are treated as part of the city's heritage.
VOrganisation and Distribution
Iranis live mainly in Mumbai and Pune and have associations of their own alongside the general Parsi councils. The library has found no reliable separate count of Zoroastrian Iranis. The Indian census does not separate this group, and the 2011 figure of 57,264 Parsis does not say how many are of Irani origin. Many Irani families later moved on to Britain, North America and Australia, where they share associations with both Parsis and Zoroastrians from Iran.
VIIn Vietnam
No Irani community is recorded in Vietnam. Vietnamese visitors to Mumbai or Pune are most likely to meet this community's legacy through the Irani cafés still in business.
VIISymbol of the Branch
No symbol of its own is recorded with a source for this branch, so the library uses the common symbol of the path.
VIIIOther Branches of Zoroastrianism
Parsisપારસી ParsiDescendants of Zoroastrians who left Iran for Gujarat over a thousand years ago.
Iranian Zoroastriansزرتشتیان ZartoshtiyanZoroastrians who remained in Iran, centred in Yazd, Kerman and Tehran, with a Council of Mobeds in Tehran.Iranis (India)IraniZoroastrians who came from Qajar Iran to British India in the 19th and early 20th centuries, still speaking Zoroastrian Dari.Uses the common symbol of the pathShahenshahi calendar groupShahanshahi, ShenshaiFollowers of the traditional Indian Parsi calendar, the majority among Parsis.Uses the common symbol of the pathKadmi (Qadimi) calendar groupQadimi, KadmiA section of Parsis adopted the Qadimi calendar in 1745.Uses the common symbol of the pathFasli calendar groupFasli, called Bastani in IranA seasonal calendar with a leap day, proposed in 1906 and widely adopted in Iran after 1930 and in the West.Uses the common symbol of the pathReformist ZoroastriansReformistA tendency since the mid-19th century that takes the Gathas as the core and treats much ritual law as later accretion.Uses the common symbol of the pathIlm-e-KhshnoomIlm-e KhshnoomAn esoteric school started by Behramshah Shroff in India after 1875, teaching reincarnation and vegetarianism and keeping strict ritual observance.Uses the common symbol of the pathZoroastrian revival in Iraqi KurdistanZardeshti (Kurdish)A Kurdish revival movement officially recognised by the Kurdistan Regional Government in August 2015, with a fire temple in Sulaymaniyah.Uses the common symbol of the pathZurvanismZurvanA Sasanian-era tendency that made Infinite Time the source of both Ohrmazd and Ahriman.Uses the common symbol of the pathIXSources
The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.
?Quick Questions
How do Iranis differ from Parsis?
Same faith, same temples. The Parsis reached Gujarat over a thousand years ago and speak Gujarati. The Iranis came from Qajar Iran, mostly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and many still speak Persian and Zoroastrian Dari.
How many Zoroastrian Iranis are there?
There is no reliable separate figure. The Indian census does not distinguish this group from the Parsis.
What is an Irani café?
A type of café opened in British India by Zoroastrian Iranis, known for milky tea, Persian-style buns and old-fashioned interiors. English Wikipedia says Mumbai had about 350 in the 1950s and 25 by 2005.