Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla

Indian priest

Date of Birth: 22-Sep-1875

Place of Birth: Surat, Gujarat, India

Date of Death: 25-May-1956

Profession: priest

Nationality: Pakistan

Zodiac Sign: Virgo


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About Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla

  • Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla (22 September 1875 – 25 May 1956), also abbreviated M.
  • N.
  • Dhalla, was a Zoroastrian priest and religious scholar. Dhalla is best known for his criticism of the orthodox factions within the Parsi community.
  • In particular, he was stringently opposed to the excessive ritualization of religious practice, including that of the use of the Towers of Silence.
  • In his autobiography, he was also critical of the orthodox refusal to accept converts, noting that "the permanent blockade to an influx from outside, the abandoning of the fold by an increasing number of both men and women, and the ever-falling birth-rate of the community [...] it can be said that [the question of conversion] has become the thread on which hangs the very existence of this microscopic community."The Encyclopædia Iranica entry for Dhalla – written by the son of a contemporary of Dhalla's with whom the Head Priest was at loggerheads for many years – summarizes Dhallas's position as "embroiled in the problem of proselytizing [...] that plagued the community; even though he held liberal views in the matter, he always sided with the orthodox majority." Dhalla himself merely acknowledged that "in replying to questions concerning ceremonies and conventions I do not give my personal opinion as a thinking individual or as a humble scholar or as a reformist, because I have no authority to do so.
  • I am the Head Priest of a [community] that is 75% conservative and of a performing priest-class that is 99% orthodox.
  • These gentlemen consider the later [traditional treatises] as authentic law-books on customs and conventions, hence my replies are perforce based mainly in conformity with their teachings."

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