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An Ethnography of the Parsees of India This volume explores a wide spectrum of Parsee culture and society derived through essays from the Journal of Anthropological Society of Bombay (1886–1936). This journal documents intensive scholarship on the Parsee community by eminent anthropologists, Indologists, orientalogists, historians, linguists, and administrators in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Comprising 0.05% of India’s total population today, the Parsees (now spelled “Parsis”) have made signifcant contributions to modern India. Through contributions of Jivanji Jamshedji Modi, Bomanjee Byramjee Patell, and Rustamji Munshi, eminent Parsee scholars, the essays in this book discuss the social and cultural frameworks which constitute various key phases in the Parsee life nearly 100 years ago. They also focus on themes such as birth, childhood and initiation, marriage, and death. The volume also features works on Parsee folklore and oral literature. An important contribution to Parsi culture and living, this book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of sociology, social anthropology, ethnography, cultural studies, history, and South Asia studies. A. M. Shah was a former professor of sociology at the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, and a national fellow of the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi, India. Lancy Lobo has been a professor and the director of the Centre for Social Studies, based in Surat, India. He holds a master’s degree in anthropology and a doctoral degree in sociology from the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, India. He is the founder-director of the Centre for Culture and Development, at Vadodara. An Ethnography of the Parsees of India 1886–1936 Edited by A. M. Shah and Lancy Lobo First published 2022 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2022 selection and editorial matter, A. M. Shah and Lancy Lobo; individual chapters, the contributors The right of A. M. Shah and Lancy Lobo to be identifed as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifcation and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record has been requested for this book ISBN: 978-1-032-01207-0 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-04700-3 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-19432-3 (ebk) Typeset in Sabon by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India Contents List of fgures viii List of tables ix Contributors x Preface xi Introduction xii A. M. SHAH AND LANCY LOBO PART I Birth and initiation 1 1 Birth customs and ceremonies of the Parsees 3 JIVANJI JAMSHEDJI MODI 2 Parsee life in Parsee songs: Cradle songs 11 JIVANJI JAMSHEDJI MODI 3 The baby language among the Parsees 26 JIVANJI JAMSHEDJI MODI 4 The initiation ceremonies and customs of the Parsees 28 JIVANJI JAMSHEDJI MODI Marriage 53 5 Marriage customs among the Parsees and their comparison with similar customs of other nations 55 JIVANJI JAMSHEDJI MODI 6 Some Parsee marriage customs: How far are they borrowed from the Hindus? 88 JIVANJI JAMSHEDJI MODI vi Contents 7 A few marriage songs of the Parsees at Nargol, Part I 93 JIVANJI JAMSHEDJI MODI 8 A few marriage songs of the Parsees at Nargol, Part II 100 JIVANJI JAMSHEDJI MODI Death 111 9 On the funeral ceremonies of the Parsees, their origin and explanation 113 JIVANJI JAMSHEDJI MODI 10 Notes on the Towers of Silence in India 139 BOMANJEE BYRAMJEE PATELL 11 The frst-year funeral expenses of a Parsee of the last century (1763) 150 BOMANJEE BYRAMJEE PATELL 12 A vahi or register of the dead of some of the Parsees of Broach and a Parsee martyr mentioned in it 163 JIVANJI JAMSHEDJI MODI 13 Another Parsee martyr of Broach 174 K. A. MUNSHI PART II 175 14 Statistics of births, deaths, and marriages among the Parsees of Bombay during the last ten years (1881–1890) 177 BOMANJEE BYRAMJEE PATELL 15 Statistics of births, deaths, and marriages among the Parsees of Bombay during the last ten years (1891–1900) 185 BOMANJEE BYRAMJEE PATELL 16 A Parsee deed of partition more than 150 years old: A form of slavery referred to therein 194 JIVANJI JAMSHEDJI MODI Contents vii Folklore 199 17 A few Parsee riddles—I 201 RUSTAMJI NASARVANJI MUNSHI 18 A few Parsee riddles—II 206 RUSTAMJI NASARVANJI MUNSHI 19 Omens among the Parsees 219 JIVANJI JAMSHEDJI MODI 20 Charms or amulets for some diseases of the eye 223 JIVANJI JAMSHEDJI MODI Glossary 229 Author and subject index 232 Figures I.1 Parsee settlements in India xiii 4.1 The Bareshnum ceremony of a priest’s initiation 42 4.2 The Yaaena ceremony of initiation of a Navar priest 45 10.1 Tower of Silence: general layout and interior view 145 10.2 Tower of Silence: ground plan 146 10.3 Tower of Silence: interior view 147 Tables 3.1 Translation and transliteration of Gujarati words 27 10.1 List of Towers of Silence in India 140 11.1 Prices of certain articles in 1763 and 1893 151 14.1 Births among the Parsees from 1881 to 1890 179 14.2 Registered births and deaths among the Parsees from 1881 to 1890 179 14.3 Deaths among the Parsees from 1881 to 1890 180 14.4 Population, deaths, and mortality per 1,000 at ten different periods of ages, among the Parsees of Bombay, 1881–1890 181 14.5 Causes of mortality among the Parsees from 1881 to 1890 181 14.6 Annual deaths in the different localities as registered in the books of the Parsee panchayat, 1881–1890 182 14.7 Marriages among the Parsees from 1881 to 1890 183 14.8 Remarriages among the Parsees from 1881 to 1890 184 15.1 Births among the Parsees from 1891 to 1900 187 15.2 Average deaths according to age during 1891–1900 187 15.3 Average deaths according to age during 1891–1895 and 1986–1900 188 15.4 Registered births and deaths among the Parsees, 1891–1990 188 15.5 Deaths among the Parsees, 1891–1900 189 15.6 Causes of mortality among the Parsees from 1891 to 1900 190 15.7 Annual deaths in the different localities as registered in the books of the Parsee panchayat, 1891–1900 191 15.8 Marriages among the Parsees from 1891 to 1900 192 15.9 Remarriages among the Parsees from 1891 to 1900 193