Judaism and Zoroastrianism in India

The Indian subcontinent is home to numerous religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Christianity, etc. In India, the population of Zoroastrianism followers is around 70,000 while Judaism has only around 4000 to 5000 followers in India. The continuous declining population of Judaism and Zoroastrianism in India is a case of concern. However, they practice their religions in India freely as the Indian Constitution guarantees religious freedom to its citizens.

Also Read: Christianity and Sikhism in India

Hinduism – Origin and Hindu Movements

Islam – Meaning, Origin and Teachings

Judaism – Origin and Practice

Judaism is one of the oldest religions in the world and the followers of Judaism are known as ‘Jews’. In history, several empires targeted Jews people and the worst case was Hitler who prosecuted several millions of Jews in a very systematic way in Germany. Jews believe in Yahweh (one God) instituted by Abraham and this religion also predates Christianity and Islam these two religions borrowed a lot from Jew’s philosophies.

Torah is a sacred book of Jews and also the first five books of the Old Testament or Bible. Talmud contains a compilation of legal and ethical writings and a brief history of Jewish. They had separate prayer halls and synagogues (places of worship) and they performed a religious service called Eliyahu-hanavi or thanksgiving to Elijah the prophet. During the prayers, all male has to wear British or the thread of prayer shawls.

They also believed in the day of judgment when the messiah would come to take the pious to heaven and the evil would be relegated to hell. They have three main sects; orthodox, conservative, and reformists. Jews came to the western coast of India for the first time. Today, there are five major Jewish communities in India; Malayalam-speaking Cochins, Marathi-speaking Bene Israel, Baghdadi Jews, Bnei Menashe (Manipuri Jews), and Bene Ephraim (small group of Tamil-speaking Jews).

Zoroastrianism – Origin and Spread in India

The religion of Zoroastrianism by founded by Zarathustra in Persia around the 6-7^th century BC. They believed in one eternal God whose name is Ahura Mazda who is the epitome of just behavior and goodness and there is a spirit of malice and bad behavior called Angra Mainyu. They believe that these good and bad behavior keep fighting with each other and the day when good will win, will be the last.  

Zoroastrians (Parsis) came to India in 936 AD., when they fled from Iran because of an Islamic invasion. They are presently among the smallest communities and mainly live in the cities of Mumbai, Goa, and Ahmedabad. Their Atash Bahram (fire temples) in India are rare as only eight such places exist in the entire country. Zend Avesta is written in Old Avestan and consists of 17 sacred songs (Gathas) and Athuna Vairyo (sacred chants).

The collection is divided into five parts; Yasna (worship with ceremony and offerings), Videvdat (laws against the demons), Yashts (to worship through praise), Khordeh Avesta (book on daily prayers), and Gathas (songs). They also worship fire, air, water, and earth as sacred elements. They placed their dead bodies into open space (Dakhma) to be eaten by vultures (Dakhma Nashini). The only such place known in India is the ‘Towers of Silence’ in Mumbai. But nowadays, they also start to torture and bury their dead.

Thus, Zoroastrianism and Judaism are integral parts of Indian culture but the declining population is a case of concern but Indian Government provides many safeguards for these communities to prosper again in India.