Of opium, fire temples, and sarees: A peek into the world of India's dwindling Parsis

Tucked distant successful a lane successful the confederate extremity of India's fiscal capital, Mumbai, is simply a depository dedicated to the followers of 1 of the world's oldest religions, Zoroastrianism.

The Framji Dadabhoy Alpaiwalla Museum documents the past and bequest of the past Parsi assemblage - a tiny taste radical that's accelerated dwindling and resides mostly successful India.

Now estimated astatine conscionable 50,000 to 60,000, the Parsis are believed to beryllium descendants of Persians who fled spiritual persecution by Islamic rulers centuries ago.

Despite their important contributions to India's economical and taste fabric, overmuch astir the Parsi assemblage remains small known to the mainstream colonisation and the wider world.

"The newly-renovated depository hopes to shingle disconnected immoderate of this obscurity by inviting radical to research the history, civilization and traditions of the Parsi assemblage done the uncommon humanities artefacts connected display," says Kerman Fatakia, curator of the museum.

Some of these see cuneiform bricks, terracotta pots, coins and different objects sourced from places similar Babylon, Mesopotamia, Susa and Iran and are dated to 4000-5000 BCE.

These are places wherever Zoroastrian Iranian kings erstwhile ruled, similar the Achaemenian, Parthian and Sasanian dynasties.

There are besides artefacts from Yazd, a metropolis successful cardinal Iran which was erstwhile a barren godforsaken and the spot wherever galore Zoroastrians settled aft fleeing different regions of Iran aft the Arab penetration successful 7th Century BCE.

One of the notable artefacts connected show is simply a replica of a clay cylinder of Cyrus the Great, a Persian king who was the laminitis of the Achaemenid empire.

Fatakia says the clay cylinder - besides known arsenic the "Edict of Cyrus" oregon the "Cyrus Cylinder" - is 1 of the astir important discoveries of the past world. Inscribed successful cuneiform script, it outlines the rights granted by Cyrus to his subjects successful Babylon. Widely seen arsenic the archetypal quality rights charter, a replica is besides displayed astatine the United Nations.

Then determination are maps that hint the migration routes of thousands of Iranian Zoroastrians who fled their location state fearing persecution and travelled to India successful the 8th to10th centuries, and again successful the 19th century.

The postulation besides features furniture, manuscripts, paintings, and portraits of salient Parsis - among them Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, laminitis of the iconic Tata Group, which owns brands similar Jaguar Land Rover and Tetley tea.

Another striking conception showcases artefacts collected by Parsis who grew affluent successful the aboriginal 19th period trading tea, silk, fabric - and notably, opium - with China. The exhibits see accepted Parsi sarees influenced by designs from China, France, and different regions shaped by these planetary commercialized ties.

Two of the museum's astir compelling exhibits are replicas of a Tower of Silence and a Parsi occurrence temple.

The Tower of Silence, oregon dakhma, is wherever Parsis permission their dormant to beryllium returned to quality - neither buried nor cremated. "The replica shows precisely what happens to the assemblage erstwhile it's placed there," says Fatakia, noting that introduction to existent towers is restricted to a prime few.

The life-size replica of the occurrence temple is arsenic fascinating, offering a uncommon glimpse into a ineffable abstraction typically off-limits to non-Parsis. Modelled connected a salient Mumbai temple, it features ineffable motifs inspired by past Persian architecture successful Iran.

The Alpaiwala Museum, primitively founded successful 1952 successful what was past Bombay, is 1 of the city's older institutions. Recently renovated, it present features modern displays with well-captioned exhibits successful solid cases. Every visitant is offered a guided tour.

"It's a tiny depository but it is packed with history," Fatakia says.

"And it's a large spot for not conscionable the residents of Mumbai oregon India to larn much astir the Parsi assemblage but for radical from each implicit the world."