Synonyms
Definition
The dialogue through correspondence between the Parsi and Iranian priests between fifteenth and eighteenth centuries over a period of 300 years.
Introduction
In the first three centuries after the Arab conquests of Iran, a sizeable group of Zoroastrians left Iran to seek refuge in India. They are the ancestors of the Parsis, but the first few centuries of Parsi history are almost entirely unrecorded [25256,25257,3]. From the moment of their migration to India, the history of Zoroastrianism becomes a history of two communities: one in the homeland (Iran), and one in India. Between the tenth and the fifteenth century, however, the number of sources for the history of both communities is extremely small. Both communities produced texts, the Irani community in Persian, the Parsi community in Sanskrit [4], and both produced manuscripts of sacred and theological texts (in Avestan and Middle Persian), with colophons that are the main – if scanty – source...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Hinnells J, Williams AV (2008) Parsis in India and the diaspora. Routledge, London
Williams AV (2009) The Zoroastrian myth of migration from Iran and settlement in the Indian diaspora. Text, translation and analysis of the 16th century Qesse-ye Sanjān, ‘The Story of Sanjan’. Brill, Leiden, pp 205–221
Wink A (1991) Al-Hind. The making of the Indo-Islamic world, vol 1, Early medieval India and the expansion of Islam, 7th-11th centuries. Brill, Leiden, pp 104–108
Bharucha SD (1906–1933) Collected Sanskrit writings of the Parsis, 6 vols. Parsee Punchayet, Bombay
Dhabhar BN (1923) Descriptive catalogue of some manuscripts bearing on Zoroastrianism and pertaining to the different collections of the Molla Feroze library. Parsee Punchayet, Bombay
Unvala JM (1940) Collection of colophons of manuscripts bearing on Zoroastrianism in some libraries of Europe. Parsi Punchayat, Bombay
Unvala MR (1922) Dârâb Hormazyâr’s Rivâyat, 2 vols. British India Press, Bombay
Dhabhar BN (1932) The Persian rivayats of Hormazyar Framarz and others. Their version with introduction and notes. K.R. Cama Oriental Institute, Bombay
Vitalone M (1996) The Persian revāyat “Ithoter”. Zoroastrian rituals in the eighteenth century. Istituto Universitario Orientale, Napoli
Kotwal FM (1990) A brief history of the Parsi priesthood. Indo-Iranian J 33:165–175
Vitalone M (1987) The Persian revāyats: a bibliographic reconnaissance. Istituto Universitario Orientale, Napoli
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature
About this entry
Cite this entry
De Jong, A. (2018). Zoroastrianism, Historic Correspondence. In: Kassam, Z.R., Greenberg, Y.K., Bagli, J. (eds) Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism. Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1267-3_568
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1267-3_568
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-024-1266-6
Online ISBN: 978-94-024-1267-3
eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities