Category Archives: History
Bhikha Behram Well in Mumbai

Chronicles of Cyrus the Great
Greetings Friends and Colleagues,
Rahavard ( ره آورد ) Persian-English Quarterly Journal has published its Fall 2023 as a special issue on Cyrus the Great (October 29 is Cyrus the Great Day).
I am glad to say that my article (“Chronicles of Cyrus the Great”) is included in this special issue of the journal. I am attaching the article for your information. Hopefully you will find it informative and interesting.
Thank you very much for your attention and best wishes,
Rasoul Sorkhabi
Rasoul Sorkhabi, Ph.D.
University of Utah
Tel. 801-587-9070
Email: rsorkhabi@egi.utah.edu
Iraq dig unearths 2,700-year-old winged sculpture largely intact | AFP
A dig in northern Iraq has unearthed a 2,700-year-old alabaster sculpture of the winged Assyrian deity Lamassu, which was found largely intact despite its large dimensions. Only the head was missing, which was already in the collection of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad after being confiscated by customs officers from smugglers in the 1990s. The sculpture escaped destruction by Islamic State jihadists which overran the area in 2014, thanks to the city’s residents who hid it before fleeing to government-held areas.
Click Here to watch this video on YouTube – https://youtu.be/Eusg8407yhY?si=KOi8ipzrF8pgkdRL
Biography of Rustomji Cowasjee Banaji
In Bengali and English
Chilpak Dakhma – Uzbekistan
Studies in Parsi History
Zoroastrianism, The Great Deluge, Human History I Dr. Ramiyar Karanjia I The iRonik Show
We have done a few episodes on Hinduism and our spiritual history, going ahead we do want to understand about other religions from the experts. We have Dr. Ramiyar Karanjia with us who is one of the foremost spokesperson on Zoroastrianism and a researcher on ancient Iranian languages. Dr. Karanjia is a M.A., Ph. D. in Avesta-Pahlavi from St. Xavier’s College, University of Mumbai, and serves as the Principal of Dadar Athornan Institute. In this podcast we spoke about the history of Zoroastrianism, where and how the religion began, the great flood which wiped out the human race. We also discussed about the Parsi community, their declining population. We tried to understand Zoroastrian belief when it comes to god, meditation, spirits and procreation.
Why are Irani Chai Shops on Street Corners?
Why are Parsees called ‘BAWA’ or BAWAJI?’
*Khan Bahadur Nasarvanji Rustomji Vatcha (1866-1931)* of Surat was a Jail Superintendent posted at Sabarmati Jail. He would give kind and sympathetic treatment to prisoners transforming them into honourable men. Thus, he won the hearts of prisoners. Once Vatcha saheb protected a prisoner from Death Sentence on the occassion of the coronation of King George V. The prisoner was also released. Mr. Vatcha would enter prisons without police baton & revolver even during his night shifts. During such visits any cry of pain or complaint that reached his ears used to receive immediate and best attention. Prisoners looked upto him as a *Father-figure” each time bending down, laying their heads on his feet calling him *Bawaji* to show their affection. This humble Parsee left such a magnificent impression of his compassionate nature that members from other communities began addressing every Parsee as ‘Bawaji’ meaning ‘Father-figure’