Historically speaking, Parsis first arrived in North India way back in the times of Emperor Akbar. The story is that Dastur Meherjirana of Navsari really impressed the Emperor with his knowledge and humility. As a result, Akbar invited him and other learned Parsis to grace his court in his new capital of Fatehpur Sikri.

As time passed, more Parsis arrived in the region. And the earliest physical evidence of Parsis being in the region lies at the old Parsi cemetery which bears an inscription dating back to 1869.

As numbers grew to around 40 Parsis in Delhi, the Delhi Parsi Anjuman (DPA) was formed in 1925. Today the number of Parsi members of the DPA in the National Capital Region stands at just around 750!

While the numbers are small and dwindling, the community is vibrant and progressive in its thinking – working not just towards preserving its rich cultural heritage, but also towards finding solutions that can stem the slow annihilation of a race that at one time ruled half the world way back in 6000BC!

The Delhi Parsi Anjuman

The DPA is today run by a group of Trustees that prides itself in being of a great combination of old-world experience and enthusiastic young blood.

What’s unique in this day and age (and also community) is that the DPA Trustees, both young and old, share the same thinking and approach when it comes to nurturing and preserving the endangered community of Parsis.

The DPA today owns and maintains the Mehgusi Parsi Dharamshala (rest house), the Bhiwandiwalla Community Hall which houses books on Zoroastrian history and culture, as well as the Kaikhusuru Palonji Katrak Dar-e-Meher (Fire Temple, seen in the picture above) which is the only one of its kind in North India.

The Delhi Parsi Anjuman is managed by a Board of Trustees, duly elected by all the members of the DPA.