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by fomenting rebellion, which encouraged additional persecution. Some pockets of resistance remained, notably at Persis, the ancient capital. Known as Gabars (literally, infidels) by the Muslims, followers of Zoroastrianism survived in Iran only in the form of constantly persecuted minorities in small enclaves at Kerman and Yezd. Presently, the Gabars number about 20,000 in Iran. |
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While Zoroastrianism was largely ended as a religious force within Iran itself, its story does not end there. There was a brief revival of interest in Zoroastrianism during the ninth century A.D., during which several treatises were written. A summary of the 21 books, or Nasks, of the Avesta was written during this time. |
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The following period, however, marks the beginning of Islamic fundamentalism in Iran, and many Zoroastrian texts were destroyed. Several parties of Zoroastrians left Iran, beginning in the 10th century A.D., settling first on the island of Ormuz in the Persian Gulf, then moving on to Gujarat in India, where they settled as agriculturists, and became known as Parsis (Persians), and their religion came to be known as Parsism. |
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9.8.1.1.2.6
The Buyid Fumble |
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Under the Buyid caliphs, the Zoroastrian community dealt with calendric matters again. No Ruz was celebrated on 1 Adur, but the intercalation which should have occurred under Khosrow Parvez was neglected. The month of Adur thus continued to recede, becoming a winter month. In A.D. 1006, 1 Farvardin again coincided with the vernal equinox, and the religious No Ruz was celebrated on that date. The Parsis made the same change, but for the Irani community, this was the last change until the 20th century. |
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9.8.1.1.2.7
The Parsi Split |
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Some Zoroastrians made their way to India, where they became known as the Parsis (Persians). The two Zoroastrian communities of India and Iran were separated for many years. The Parsis of India made the intercalation in A.D. 1131, but the Irani community did not, creating two calendars separated by one month. Thereafter, neither community made the intercalation, so both calendars used a 365-day year thereafter, causing both calendars to drift out of synchronization with the solar year. |
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In A.D. 1720, an Irani priest (Dastur) named Jamasp Vilayati traveled from Kerman to India, and the priests of the two communities discovered the one-month discrepancy, but could not explain it. |
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In A.D. 1746, a group from Surat adopted the Irani calendar, calling themselves the Kadim or ancient ones, believing the Irani calendar to represent a more ancient tradition. In India, the Kadmi calendar is predominantly followed by Irani Zoroastrians. Most of the Parsis in India clung to the older calendar, calling themselves Rasimis (traditionalists) or Sharshais or Shenshais The origins of this last word are disputed, but it is often mistakenly rendered as Shahanshahis, meaning royalist. The dispute between the two groups became very bitter. |
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