Migration in India:
The new political and religious situation in Persia in 7th century drove a number of Zoroastrians into exile . Some of them migrated to China and built fire temples there. During the period of fall of the Sassanian dynasty due to battle of Nehavend in 641 AD and death of the last Sassanian ruler Yazdagard III in 651 sought refuge in the remote region of Khurasan. After 100 years they shifted to Hormuz on the Persian Gulf. They stayed for 15 years so that they could move on by sea in seven ships to India and landed at Diu in Gujarat around 766 AD. After 19 years of their stay, a Hindu Raja Jadi Rana granted refuge in Sanjan. He imposed five conditions on them.

A) the Parsees' high priest would have to explain their religion to the King.

B) They would have to give up their native Persian language and take on the language of India.

C) The women should exchange their traditional Persian garb with the customary dress of the country.

D) The men should lay down their weapons.

E) They should hod their wedding processions only in the dark. Their priest Neryosangh portrayed main characteristics in the 16 Sanskrit Shlokas, accepted Gujarati as a native language and Sari as a traditional garment for the Parsee women. Five years after their settlement they built their first fire temple on Indian soil. Towards the end of the 10th century they began to settle in other parts of Gujarat such as Vankaner, Broach, Variav, Ankleswar Cambay and Nausari. Parsees were reported in Thane in Maharashtra in 1322. After 1465 AD, Sanjan was attacked by a Muslim army under Alafkhan. The fighting force of 1400 parsee men supported the Hindu prince but rest of them had to flee to other parts of Gujarat. The holy fire was brought to Bansda and then transferred to Navsari in 1516. And finally to Udvada in 1742. Hence Sanjan, Nausari and Udvada are centers of religious and cultural traditions. During 1576 and 1579 Mughal emperor Akbar held religious conversation with Dastur Meherji Rana and in 1582 developed a syncretistic monotheism Tauhid-I-Ilahi.

Settlement in Bombay:

The first Parsee in Bombay was reported in 1640. After Portuguese relinquished Bombay to British in 1661, more Parsees were attracted to Bombay. They acted as interpreters. Brokers for Portuguese, French, Dutch and English factories. They represented Nawab of Surat. In 1679, an influential Parsee managed to get exemption from the poll-tax 'Jazia imposed by Aurangzeb. The Parsee settlement in Bombay was encouraged by British by granting them a piece of land on Malabar Hill in Bombay in 1673. In 1780, out of 33,444 inhabitants of bombay, 3,087 (9.7 %) of them were Parsees! Now more than 70 per cent of all Indian Parsees are living in Bombay. Of late, since India's independence many Parsees believe to have no more future in India and settle in England, Canada, U.S.A

Contribution of India to Parsees:

In addition to the refuge for more than 1200 years, India has contributed in more than one ways. Udvada is some times termed as Mecca of Parsees. As an adaptable mediating minority they got exposure to close contacts with European trade and business organization. It paved way for economic and social rise under English rule. In addition to language, dress, the place of settlements yielded them surnames such as Bharucha from Broach, Bulsara from Valsad, Khambata from Cambay, etc.

Influence of Parsees on Indian society:

Literacy:

Rate of literacy was very high. In census of 1931 percentage of literacy in parsees was 79.1 and in women it was 73.4when the same for Hindu was 8.4 and 2.1 respectively. Comparatively large number of wealthy community members as potential donors made charity system more prominent. The first technological University Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore in 1909. In 1945 the Tata family endowed the Tata Institute of Fundamental research. The leading institution in mathematics and nuclear research. Students'Literary and Scientific Society under the leadership of Dadabhai Navroji and some Hindus started Schools in 1848. By 1858 the number of schools for girls reached nine attended by 740 girls out of whom 740 were parsees.

Reforms, political and social:

In 1852 the first political organization in Bombay the 'Bombay Association' was founded as a platform and mouthpiece of the reform movement. The reforms can be summarized as social, educational, political religious, female education, free association of women with men at public, social and other gatherings, infant schools. Societies for the diffusion of useful knowledge in the vernacular, abolition of child marriages, remarriage of widow among Hindus as described by Dadabhai Navroji.

Journalism:

The parsee Bhimji Parikh in 1670 had an agency of the East India Company, the first printing press and a printer brought to Bombay. In 1777, Bombay's first English newspaper, the Bombay Courier was printed in the printing works of a Parsee Rustomji Keshapathi. In 1822, seven months after the first news paper in Bengali 'Sungbad Kaumudi' the first Indian newspaper, Bombay samachar was started followed by Mumbai Vartaman in 1830 and Jam-e-Jamshed and Mumbaina Chabuk.

Trade and Economics:

Parsees played a leading part in all of Bombay' important bank foundations such as Government bank of Bombay, Orient bank, The central bank of India with a majority of Parsees as shareholders and managers was the largest private bank in India until its nationalization in 1969. Enterprises and industries such as cotton mills, steel industry by J.N.Tata, Shaporji Palanji in building and construction. Mercantile shipping company. Contribution by Parsees in nationalist movement was also phenomenal, which includes Dadabhai Navroji, Pherojshah Mehta, Madam Bikhai Cama etc.

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