Why parsis came to india

To investigate further the parental relatedness among Parsis [ 19 ], we analyzed the RoH and inbreeding coefficient in the population Additional file 1 : Figure S For RoH calculations, we applied three window sizes , , and kb , requiring a minimum of SNPs per window and allowing one heterozygous and five missing calls per window. Long RoH segments characterize consanguinity and also provide a distinctive record of the demographic history for a particular population [ 42 , 43 ].

As expected, both of the Parsi populations carried a larger number of long segments relative to their putative parental populations and present neighbors at the kb window length, likely due to the small population size and a high level of inbreeding.

However, the Sindhi population from Pakistan also showed a higher level of inbreeding at the larger RoH window sizes, most likely due to an elevated level of cross-cousin marriages Additional file 1 : Figure S To investigate how random genetic drift has shaped the functional genetic variation after admixture in the Parsis, we implemented the population branch statistic [ 44 ] using the Sindhi and Iranians as reference and outgroup.

We analysed variants over the The frequency of this G allele is lower in the Iranians and Sindhi 0. This polymorphism has been associated with the pathogenesis of pneumonia-induced sepsis and the G allele has been associated with a decreased risk of active brucellosis in Iranians [ 46 ].

To obtain a detailed understanding of the sex-specific South Asian and Iranian ancestries, we examined maternally inherited mtDNA and paternally inherited Y chromosome biallelic polymorphisms in a larger sample in both the Indian and Pakistani Parsi populations Additional file 1 : Figure S12, Tables S9 and S For the mtDNA analysis, we were also able to assay 21 ancient samples from the Sanjan [ 21 ] region, for diagnostic polymorphisms Additional file 1 : Table S11 and supplementary text.

First, these haplogroups might have been carried by the migration of Zoroastrian refugees from Fars Iran , a possibility that is supported by the presence of these clades in present-day Persian samples 9. Second, they might have resulted from the assimilation of local females during the initial settlement. The comparison of ancient and modern samples thus identified maternal lineages that can be considered as founding surviving or lost , as well as those that were subsequently assimilated Additional file 1 : Figure S12 and Tables S9— The PC analysis of both mtDNA and Y chromosome data placed all the Parsi groups close to each other and showed their contrasting clustering based on maternal or paternal ancestries Fig.

The contrasting patterns of maternal and paternal ancestry support a largely female-biased admixture from the South Asian populations to the Parsis. Details of the populations are given in the supplementary text. In conclusion, our investigation has not only contributed substantial new data, but has also provided a more comprehensive insight into the population structure of Parsis and their genetic links to Iranians and South Asians.

We show that the Parsis are genetically closer to Iranian and Caucasian populations than those in South Asia and provide evidence of sex-specific admixture with the prevailing female gene flow from South Asians to the Parsis. A detailed description of the material and methods can be found in the supplementary text Additional file 1.

The modern Parsi samples were pooled from three independent collections: two from Mumbai, India, and one from Karachi, Pakistan Fig. Illumina K and 2. We merged our newly generated data of 43 samples with the relevant reference data sets of samples published elsewhere Additional file 1 : supplementary text and Table S2.

We followed phylotree build 17 to classify them into haplogroups. Archaeological analysis and accelerator mass spectrometry dating were consistent with these remains belonging most likely to migrant Parsis from the 8—13th centuries Additional file 1 : supplementary text. We followed our standard published protocol to isolate DNA from teeth [ 48 ] Additional file 1 : supplementary text.

For autosomal analyses, after data curation and merging Additional file 1 : supplementary text , we first used the method of Cockerham and Weir [ 49 ] to estimate the mean pairwise F ST. The maximum likelihood tree of world populations was constructed using TreeMix v.

ALDER v 1. The population branch statistic method [ 44 ] was used to identify genomic regions under selection in the Parsi population. Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers. Axelrod P. Myth and identity in the Indian Zoroastrian community. J Mithraic Stud.

Google Scholar. Mirza HDK. Outlines of Parsi history. Mumbai: Mirza; Hinnells J, Williams A. Parsis in India and the Diaspora. Hinnells JR.

The modern Zoroastrian diaspora. Migration: the Asian experience. New York: St Martin's Press; Chapter Google Scholar.

Growth of Parsi population in India. Mumbai: National Commission for Minorities; Katrak SK. Who are the Parsees? Karachi: Pakistan Herald Press; Parzor Foundation, New Delhi.

Accessed 18 May Mohyuddin A, Mehdi S. Tissue Antigens. Pocha JS. Parsis: the vanishing breed. Parsi Gujarati: vanishing dialect: vanishing culture.

Reshape Tomorrow Tomorrow is different. Let's reshape it today. Corning Gorilla Glass TougherTogether. ET India Inc. ET Engage. ET Secure IT. Navroz: Here are a few interesting facts about the Parsi community. Read more on Productivity.

Browse Companies:. To see your saved stories, click on link hightlighted in bold. Fill in your details: Will be displayed Will not be displayed Will be displayed. The late marriages, health complications and a reluctance to have children have all contributed to the falling birth rates within the Parsi community. For every four people dying, only one child is born, leading to a fast decline in numbers.

But it's not so easy to find a suitable marriage partner in a tiny community and more than 30 per cent of Parsis remain single now. Unlike other religions, including Christianity and Islam, the Parsi community doesn't practice the conversion of people from other faiths into Zoroastrianism. Purists now fear that the pure Parsi bloodlines will be eliminated in a few generations. But the question remains whether it will be enough to sustain the shrinking community of 61, who live among more than 1.

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. The Indian Parsis trace their ancestry to Zoroastrian refugees from Persia.

Posted 15 Sep 15 Sep Fri 15 Sep at pm. Undeclared war: India's Muslims 'in constant fear' as vigilante murders increase. This is a red rag, and not only to the bullish. Most Parsis fiercely believe that it is their exclusive right. They are projected to plummet to 23, in the near future, reducing this sophisticated, urbane community to a "tribe". Even literally because cousin marriages are common, and so are the diseases of inbreeding.

Yet, with a combination of racial pride and fear, community leaders have obdurately resisted any intrusion. A judgement in the Bombay High Court reiterated that "Parsi" is an ethnic entity restricted to the descendants of those Persian refugees, though logic may look askance at such racial purity maintained over a millennium.

The judges had added that the child of a mixed marriage could be included in this definition only when the father is Parsi. One is born Parsi, but becomes Zoroastrian after the initiating "navjot" ceremony. Scholars, liberals - and intermarried women - have protested such discrimination, and nullifying it would improve the numbers and refresh the gene pool.

But the argument has always been battened down, not just by the orthodoxy but the larger paranoia. Parsis fear that their envied communal legacy will be appropriated by "half castes".

After centuries of rural facelessness, the Parsis flowered under British rule. Their philanthropy came to be as fabled as their fortunes, many made from the opium "trade" with China.