Across the Ocean: The Story of Parsi Migration and Settlement in India

Speaker: Dr. Rukshana Nanji, independent  archaeologist

 

Chair: Dr. Shernaz Cama

 

The arrival and settlement of Zoroastrian Persians/Parsis on the shores of Gujarat is recorded in the Kisse-i-Sanjan, a quasi-historical poem composed in c.1599 by Dastur Bahman Kaikobad in Navsari. This primary source has been used by historians and scholars over the centuries as the basic building block in reconstructing the history of the Parsi community in India. Several myths and legends have grown around this migration of the Early Medieval period. Their arrival on the Gujarat coast, settlement and integration with the local culture and their attempts to retain a distinctive cultural identity are briefly discussed in this paper. Several other lesser known sources such as the 16 Sanskrit shlokas, Rivayats, epigraphic records and other historical sources also provide invaluable insights. Archaeological excavations carried out between 2002 and 2004 provided evidence which has helped assess the veracity of these historical sources and legends. This paper presents known historical facts along with archaeological data to better assess the intercultural exchanges that took place between two diverse cultures during the Early Medieval period