Raidashir

Raidashir, was the younger brother to the Persian King Ardashir I of the Sassanid Dynasty. Raidashir was a bloodthirsty warrior and his elder brother feared him.He was exiled by the King for practicing a different faith from the more popular religion in Persia at that time, Zoroastrianism. Arguably, references about Raidashir appeared in many parts of the Sassanid Dynasty history; spanning from 3rd century AD till its fall in 642. It could be of different persons with the same name. However, recent studies reveals that Raidashir had created a cult of black magic practitioners whom the leader were given the title Rai Shah. The cult grew rapidly in India after the fall of Persian Empire by the Caliph Umar Al Khattab in 642 AD at the Battle of Nahavand. There, the title Rai Shah was changed to Raja Rai according to the local dialect at that time. The name of the cult was unknown but it was believe to be the forerunners of the ancient Indian custom of sacrificing the wife of a dead husband to the Death Goddess Kali. When the muslim Moghul Empire spread its power in the late 13th century, all the traces of the ancient cult had disappeared in India.