History of the Parsis : including their manners, customs, religion and present position : with coloured and other illustrations : in two volumes

CHAP. V.] SUPERSTITIOUS PRACTICES. 233

claimed on the 4th of November 1819 that no one should make vows or give offerings to Hindu temples or Mahomedan mosques, or wear charms or amulets or threads, and that if any one was found to break these orders he or she would be “seized and publicly disgraced.” This threat had a good effect upon erring Zoroastrians, but only for a time, and through fear of public disgrace. In after years, when the power of the Panchayet was again on the wane, the objectionable practices were revived, but happily the greater enlightenment of the present day has resulted in their almost entire discontinuance.

The Panchayet also directed its efforts towards correcting the evils arismg from many injurious customs which prevailed about this time among the Parsis, and passed some very salutary rules for that purpose at a public meeting held at the fire-temple of Dadi Nasarvanji Seth on the 15th of December 1823."

+ In a letter published in the Bombay Times of 9th December 1844, Mr. Manakji Kharshedji Shroff gave an abstract of these rules which we quote below, as they are not only interesting in themselves, but also show the nature of the social evils from which the Parsis were then suffering :—

“Tt was usual previously to the passing of the above-mentioned regulations for Parsi priests (who form a begging fraternity, and they are some hundreds in number) to flock uninvited to the houses of any Parsi who might have any ceremony to perform, for the purpose of obtaining, as af by right, their share of the asodad (gift in money), and not unfrequently were they riotous on such occasions. Independently of this, how exceedingly hard upon individuals having very

limited means was it to be compelled to distribute asodad to all! However, such was the influence exercised at that time by the priests,