Karaka, Dosabhai Framji: History of the Parsis: including their manners, customs, religion and present position ; in two volumes (Band 2) (London, 1884)

chap, i.] THE MODIS OF SUE AT.

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with the Kadmis. His contemporary Dhanjisha
Manjisha, the head of the Kadmis, was an exten-
sive " jaghirdar." He also traded largely with Bom-
bay and China, and owned a great number of ships,
besides many country craft called "batelas," which
were used for the coasting trade.

In 1667 there died at Surat Nanabhai Punjiabhai,
who was the head of the Parsi community of that
city. The Modis of Surat are his descendants.
Nanabhai was in the highest sense of the term a
charitable man, while his building a "dokhma" at
Surat testified to his religious feelings.

Since Nanabhai's time his descendants have been
the heads of the Parsi community at Surat. All
representations from the Parsi community, formerly
to the nawab and latterly to the English authorities,
were made through their medium. When Bhimji
Kuvarji was the Modi of Surat, he represented to the
Nawab Hyder Ali Khan the grievances of the Parsis
in being impressed by the Mahomedan officers of the
nawab for various kinds of labour, among which the
most disagreeable was the digging of graves for dead
Mussulmans ; and the nawab was pleased to issue
a firman exempting the Parsis from such impress-
ment. In former times as well as at the present
day the Parsis levied small dues upon marriages
among their co-religionists for the benefit of the funds
for the amelioration of the poor belonging to the