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H.P. Blavatsky - From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan
and caste, and even whether a woman is married or single, from the marks painted in bright colors on
everyone's forehead.
Since the time when Alexander the Great destroyed the sacred books of the Gebars, they have constantly
been oppressed by the idol worshippers. King Ardeshir-Babechan restored fire worship in the years
229-243 A.C. Since then they have again been persecuted during the reign of one of the Shakpurs, either
II., IX., or XI., of the Sassanids, but which of them is not known. It is, however, reported that one of
them was a great protector of the Zartushta doctrines. After the fall of Yesdejird, the fire-worshippers
emigrated to the island of Ormasd, and, some time later, having found a book of Zoroastrian prophecies,
in obedience to one of them they set out for Hindustan. After many wanderings, they appeared, about
1,000 or 1,200 years ago, in the territory of Maharana-Jayadeva, a vassal of the Rajput King Champanir,
who allowed them to colonize his land, but only on condition that they laid down their weapons, that they
abandoned the Persian language for Hindi, and that their women put off their national dress and clothed
themselves after the manner of Hindu women. He, however, allowed them to wear shoes, since this is
strictly prescribed by Zoroaster. Since then very few changes have been made. It follows that the Parsee
women could only be distinguished from their Hindu sisters by very slight differences. The almost white
faces of the former were separated by a strip of smooth black hair from a sort of white cap, and the whole
was covered with a bright veil. The latter wore no covering on their rich, shining hair, twisted into a kind
of Greek chignon. Their foreheads were brightly painted, and their nostrils adorned with golden rings.
Both are fond of bright, but uniform, colors, both cover their arms up to the elbow with bangles, and both
wear saris.
Behind the women a whole sea of most wonderful turbans was waving in the pit. There were long-haired
Rajputs with regular Grecian features and long beards parted in the middle, their heads covered with
"pagris" consisting of, at least, twenty yards of finest white muslin, and their persons adorned with
earrings and necklaces; there were Mahrata Brahmans, who shave their heads, leaving only one long
central lock, and wear turbans of blinding red, decorated in front with a sort of golden horn of plenty;
Bangas, wearing three-cornered helmets with a kind of cockscomb on the top; Kachhis, with Roman
helmets; Bhillis, from the borders of Rajastan, whose chins are wrapped three times in the ends of their
pyramidal turbans, so that the innocent tourist never fails to think that they constantly suffer from
toothache; Bengalis and Calcutta Babus, bare-headed all the year round, their hair cut after an Athenian
fashion, and their bodies clothed in the proud folds of a white toga-virilis, in no way different from those
once worn by Roman senators; Parsees, in their black, oilcloth mitres; Sikhs, the followers of Nanaka,
strictly monotheist and mystic, whose turbans are very like the Bhillis', but who wear long hair down to
their waists; and hundreds of other tribes.
Proposing to count how many different headgears are to be seen in Bombay alone, we had to abandon the
task as impracticable after a fortnight. Every caste, every trade, guild, and sect, every one of the thousand
sub-divisions of the social hierarchy, has its own bright turban, often sparkling with gold lace and
precious stones, which is laid aside only in case of mourning. But, as if to compensate for this luxury,
even the mem-bers of the municipality, rich merchants, and Rai-Bahadurs, who have been created
baronets by the Government, never wear any stockings, and leave their legs bare up to the knees. As for
their dress, it chiefly consists of a kind of shapeless white shirt.
In Baroda some Gaikwars (a title of all the Baroda princes) still keep in their stables elephants and the
less common giraffes, though the former are strictly forbidden in the streets of Bombay. We had an
opportunity of seeing ministers, and even Rajas, mounted on these noble animals, their mouths full of
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