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Iranis (India)

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Zoroastrian community in India Not to be confused with Parsis.
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Ethnic group
Iranis
Persian: ایرانی
Total population
139,362 (2011)
Languages
Zoroastrian Dari, Hindi, Other Persian Dialects
Religion
Islam, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism
Related ethnic groups
Parsis
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The Iranis (Persian: ایرانی; meaning Iranian) are an ethno-religious community in the Indian subcontinent; they descend from the Zoroastrians who emigrated from Qajar-era Iran to British India in the 19th and 20th centuries. They are culturally, linguistically, ethnically and socially distinct from the Parsis, who – although also Zoroastrians – immigrated to the Indian subcontinent from Greater Iran many centuries prior, starting with the Islamic conquest of Persia.

Demographics

Historical population of Irani Indians in India
YearPop.±% p.a.
1951 80,127—    
1961 90,157+1.19%
1971 99,583+1.00%
1981 109,462+0.95%
1991 119,631+0.89%
2001 129,145+0.77%
2011 139,362+0.76%
Sources:

Distinction from Parsis

The Parsis and Iranis are considered legally distinct. A 1909 obiter dictum relating to the Indian Zoroastrians observed that Iranis (of the now defunct Bombay Presidency) were not obliged to uphold the decisions of the then regulatory Parsi Panchayat. Some of the Irani community speaks an ethnolect called Zoroastrian Dari whereas most Parsis typically speak Gujarati. However, the two communities increasingly intermarry and are said to have been "integrated well" with each other.

History

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Although the term 'Irani' is first attested during the Mughal era, most Iranis are descended from immigrants who left Iran and migrated to the Indian subcontinent during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At the time, Iran was ruled by the Qajars and religious persecution of Zoroastrians was widespread. Some Iranis still speak Persian and the Dari dialects of the Zoroastrians of those provinces. Iranis are generally seen as a subset of the wider Zoroastrian community.

As is also the case for the Parsis, the Iranis predominantly settled in the west coast of India/the Indian subcontinent.

See also

References

  1. Masashi, Haneda (October 1997). "Emigration of Iranian Elites to India during the 16-18th centuries". Cahiers d'Asie Centrale (3/4): 129–143. Archived from the original on 14 July 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  2. "Indian Census 1951". Government of India. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  3. "Indian Census 1961". Government of India. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  4. "Indian Census 1971". Government of India. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  5. "Indian Census 1981". Government of India. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  6. "Indian Census 1991". Government of India. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  7. "Indian Census 2001". Government of India. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  8. "Indian Census 2011". Government of India. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  9. "Irani Community in India: Population Estimates". Irani Cultural Association. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  10. "Zoroastrians of India: An Overview". Zoroastrian Community Research Institute. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  11. Dr. XYZ (2010). The Persian Heritage of Indian Iranians. XYZ Publications.
  12. "Migration Patterns of Zoroastrians in India". Indian Migration Studies. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  13. Shastri, Padmaja (21 March 2004). "What sets Zoroastrian-Iranis apart". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 19 April 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
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