Zoroastrianism in India

Zoroastrianism in India has significant history within the country. Zoroastrians have lived in the Indian subcontinent since the Sasanian period. The Zoroastrians also moved to India in successive migrations during the Islamic period. The initial migration following the Muslim conquest of Persia has been canonized as a religious persecution by invading Muslims. Zoroastrianism meanwhile suffered a decline in Iran after the conquests. Subsequent migrations also took place after the attempts by Safavids to convert their subjects to Shiism.

Due to persecution of Zoroastrians in other countries and the liberal atmosphere and patronisation of India and the protection provided by Indian rulers, today the largest population of Zoroastrians resides in India, where Zoroastrians have played a notable role in the Indian economy, entertainment, the armed forces, and the Indian freedom movement against the British Raj. The Zoroastrian groups are regarded as either Parsi or Irani depending on the time of migration to India.