ZOROASTRIANISM
The
first Zoroastrians to enter India arrived on the Gujrati coast in the 10th
century, soon after the Arabian conquest of Iran and by the 17th century, most
of them had settled in
Bombay. Zoroastrian practice is based on the responsibility of every man
and woman to choose between good and evil, and to respect God's creations. The
religion's founder, Zarathustra, who lived in
Iran in 6000 BC was the first
religious prophet to expound a dualistic philosophy, based on the opposing
powers of good and evil.
Most Zoroastrians can be
seen in
Bombay
today where they are known as Parsees (Persians). They have no distinctive dress
and few houses of worship. Five daily prayers, usually hymns uttered by
Zarathustra and standardized in the religious text Zenda Avesta, are said in the
home or the temple, before a fire, which symbolizes the realm of truth,
righteousness and order.