The Story of Sanjan (also Qissa-i Sanjan or Kisse-i Sanjan) is an account of the early years of Zoroastrian settlers on the Indian subcontinent. Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings Ahura Mazda ( ae Ahura Mazdā) is the Avestan language name for a divinity exalted by Zoroaster as the one uncreated Creator Zoroaster ( Latinized from Greek variants) or Zarathushtra (from Avestan Zaraθuštra) also referred to as Zartosht (زرتشت Asha ( aša) or arta is the Avestan language term for a concept of cardinal importance to Zoroastrian theology and doctrine Yazata is the Avestan language word for a Zoroastrian concept ae Amesha Spenta ( ae Aməša Spənta) is an Avestan language term for a class of divinity/divine concepts in Zoroastrianism, and literally means "Bounteous Yazata is the Avestan language word for a Zoroastrian concept For the fictional character in the Marvel Universe series see Ahura (comics; for the river see Akhurian River. Daeva ( daēuua, daāua, daēva) is the Avestan language term for a particular sort of supernatural entity with disagreeable characteristics "Ahriman" redirects here For other uses see Ahriman (disambiguation. The Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language. The word "Gātha" means a "hymn of praise" in the earliest Indo-Iranian poetry The Vendidad or Videvdat is a collection of texts within the greater compendium of the Avesta. Ahuna Vairya is the Avestan language name of the most sacred of the Gathic hymns of the Avesta, the revered texts of Zoroastrianism. A Zoroastrian Fire Temple is a place of worship for Zoroastrians. The Dēnkard or Dēnkart ( Middle Persian: "Acts of Religion" is a 10th century compendium of the Mazdaen Zoroastrian beliefs and customs The Bundahishn, meaning "Primal Creation" is an account of Zoroastrian cosmogony and cosmology and reflects ancient Zoroastrian and even pre-Zoroastrian beliefs The Book of Arda Viraf is a Zoroastrian religious text that describes the dream-journey of a devout Zoroastrian (the 'Viraf' of the story through the next world The Jamasp Nameh (var Jāmāsp Nāmag, Jāmāsp Nāmeh, "Story of Jamasp" is a Middle Persian book of revelations Zurvanism is a now-extinct branch of Zoroastrianism that had the divinity Zurvan as its First The Zoroastrian calendar is a religious Calendar used by members of the Zoroastrian faith and it is an approximation of the (tropical Solar calendar. Zoroastrianism has numerous festivals and holy days all of which are bound to the Zoroastrian calendar. In the Zoroastrian faith marriage is encouraged an institution greatly favoured by the religious texts. Zoroastrianism eschatology is the oldest Eschatology in recorded history Zoroastrians in Iran have had a long history being the oldest religious community of that nation to survive to the present-day The Iranis are an ethno-religious community of the Indian subcontinent; descendants of Zoroastrians who emigrated from Greater Iran (in the main from Zoroastrians have faced much religious discrimination including forced conversions harassments as well as being identified as Najis "ritually impure" Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia For geopolitical treatments see South Asia. In the absence of alternatives, the text is generally accepted to be the only narrative of the events described therein, and many members of the Parsi community perceive the epic poem to be an accurate account of their ancestors.

Contents 1 Contents 2 Issues raised by the text 3 Notes 4 References 5 Bibliography 6 Further reading

The account begins in Greater Khorasan, and narrates the travel of the emigrants to Gujarat, on the west coast of present-day India. Greater Khorasan (خراسان بزرگ (also written Khorasaan, Khurasan and Khurasaan) is a modern term for eastern territories of ancient Persia The first chapter, which is the longest, ends with the establishment of a Fire Temple at Sanjan (Gujarat), and the later dispersion of their descendants. A Zoroastrian Fire Temple is a place of worship for Zoroastrians. Sanjan is the second station in Gujarat (the first station is Umbergaon just inside the Gujarat- Maharashtra border when travelling on the Western Railway line In later chapters, the Qissa narrates the success in repelling Islamic invaders, then the failure in the same, and the subsequent flight of the Zoroastrians. The account closes with a chapter on the conveyance of the "Fire of the Warharan" to Navsari. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Navsari (નવસારી is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of Gujarat.

In its conclusion, the story is signed by a Parsi priest named Bahman Kaikobad (or 'Bahman Kaikobad Hamjiar Sanjana'^[1]). The date of authorship is recorded as 969 YZ (1599 CE, see Zoroastrian calendar) - several centuries after the described events are thought to have occurred. The Zoroastrian calendar is a religious Calendar used by members of the Zoroastrian faith and it is an approximation of the (tropical Solar calendar. The account is in verse, in the highly verbose style common to Arabic and Persian poetry.

The Kisseh-i Sanjan, as Abraham Anquetil-Duperron transliterated the name, became available to European scholarship in 1771, when Duperron published a French translation. Abraham-Hyacinthe Anquetil Du Perron ( 7 December 1731 &ndash 17 January 1805) French Orientalist, brother of Year 1771 ( MDCCLXXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a However, it was not until the beginning of the 20th century that the poem attracted widespread attention, particularly among the Parsi-Zoroastrian priesthood. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on ^[2]

Contents

Quotations in the following section are from an English language translation by Shahpurshah Hormasji Hodivala, published in 1920. Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar ^[3]

The first chapter of the narrative begins with the fall of the Persian Empire, the dispersion of the people "of good faith", and the Zoroastrians' departure from Greater Khorasan. The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia Greater Khorasan (خراسان بزرگ (also written Khorasaan, Khurasan and Khurasaan) is a modern term for eastern territories of ancient Persia The refugees first made for a major port city ^[a1] near Bushire, where they stayed for 15 years. Bushehr or Bushire ( Persian:بوشهر pop 165377 (in 2005) is a city on the southwestern coast of Iran, on the Persian Gulf From there they sailed for Hindustan, the northern territories of the Indian subcontinent. Hindustan (हिन्दुस्तान, ہندوستان,) is one of the popular Names of India. They landed on the Island of Div (Diu), in southern Saurashtra, where they stayed for another 19 years. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Diu is a city in Diu district in the union territory of Daman and Diu, India. Saurashtra (also Soruth and Sorath) is a region of western India, located on the Arabian Sea coast of Gujarat state From Div, they sailed along the coast, weathered a severe storm at sea, and finally landed in Gujarat. Gujarat (ગુજરાત Gujǎrāt, pronounced) is a state in western India.

There, they approached the local king, Jadi Rana, and requested asylum. Jadi Rana or Jadav Rana is a figure from the Qissa-i Sanjan, an epic poem completed in 1599 which is an account of the flight of some of the Zoroastrians The ruler, fearing for his kingdom, asked them to explain their beliefs, and made four other stipulations for granting asylum:

• they were to adopt the local language (Gujarati)
• their women were to wear the garments of the local women (the Sari)
• they were to cease to carry weapons
• marriages were only to be performed in the evenings (as the Hindus do)

The refugees, accepting the demands, expounded on the teachings of their faith, and "when the Hindu Raja heard the oration, his mind regained perfect ease. Gujarati (ગુજરાતી Gujǎrātī ? for the town in Nepal see Sari Nepal A sari or saree or shari is a female garment in the Indian subcontinent Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. " Having been granted asylum, the emigrants established the settlement of Sanjan (Gujarat), which was soon flourishing. Sanjan is the second station in Gujarat (the first station is Umbergaon just inside the Gujarat- Maharashtra border when travelling on the Western Railway line

Some time thereafter, the priests of the fledgling community approached the king with a request to establish a Fire Temple. A Zoroastrian Fire Temple is a place of worship for Zoroastrians. Their wish was granted, and a temple was subsequently installed and consecrated. The Fire is subsequently referred to in the story as the "Fire of Warharan. "^[b]

The narrative then glosses over the next five or seven centuries (both periods are mentioned). At the end of the first chapter, many of the descendants of the original settlers are said to have dispersed in all directions.

In the subsequent three chapters, the account narrates the invasion by Islamic troops. At first, with the assistance of the Zoroastrians, the invaders are repelled. In the battle on the next day, "Fortune [. . . ] turned its face", and the Raja was killed.

The fifth chapter narrates the fleeing of the Zoroastrians to Bahrot, taking the fire from the temple in Sanjan with them. They stayed there for twelve years, then moved to Bansdah, where a new temple was consecrated.

In the sixth and final chapter of the narrative, the account describes the conveyance of the fire to a new temple at Navsari. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Navsari (નવસારી is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of Gujarat.

Issues raised by the text

In the absence of alternatives, the Story of Sanjan is generally accepted to be the only narrative of the early years of the Zoroastrian migrants to the Indian subcontinent. This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia For geopolitical treatments see South Asia. Among the Parsi community, the story is perceived to be an accurate account of their forebearers.

The importance of the story lies in any case not so much in its reconstruction of events than in its depiction of the Parsis - in the way they have come to view themselves - and in their relationship to the dominant culture. As such, the text plays a crucial role in shaping Parsi identity. But, "even if one comes to the conclusion that the chronicle based on verbal transmission is not more than a legend, it still remains without doubt an extremely informative document for Parsee historiography. "^[4]

Although the narrative unequivocally attributes the migration to escape from religious persection (subsequently glorified as "fleeing fire and sword"^[5]), that there was any significant degree of persecution has been repeatedly questioned,^[c] and it appears unlikely that religious persecution was the primary motivation to migrate.

In the Story of Sanjan, it appears as if the Zoroastrians must have had some contact with Gujarat prior to their journey there, which has prompted suggestions that the Zoroastrians of the story were not in fact the first migrants. Whether these were also asylum seekers is unclear, but Iranian influence and emigrants are discernible in India long before the Parsis of the narrative arrive. The text states the migrants knew in advance that Gujarat was governed by a monarch tolerant towards other (i. e. non-Hindu) religious beliefs, and this may have been determined through trade with the region (the city^[a2] near Bushire - where the narrative's Zoroastrians are said to have lived for 15 years before setting sail - had extensive trading connections with the east). Bushehr or Bushire ( Persian:بوشهر pop 165377 (in 2005) is a city on the southwestern coast of Iran, on the Persian Gulf

The story's chronology is the basis of several different estimates of the year of migration. Although the story is precise with respect to some elapsed periods, it is vague or contradictory with respect to others. Consequently (and in conjunction with an unrelated document from 1826^[6]), three dates - 936, 785 and 716 - have been proposed as the year of landing. Events By Place Asia King Taejo of Goryeo (Wanggeon defeats Hubaekje. Events By Place Europe Widukind and many other Saxons are baptized For the area code see Area code 716 Events By Place Byzantine Empire Theodosius III leads a revolt against Anastasius The sacking of Sanjan referred to in the fourth chapter probably occurred in 1465 (see Delhi Sultanate), which would put 716 CE c. The Delhi Sultanate ( Urdu: دلی سلطنت, दिल्ली सलतनत or Sultanat e Hind ( سلطنتِ هند; सलतनत ए For the area code see Area code 716 Events By Place Byzantine Empire Theodosius III leads a revolt against Anastasius 750 years before the Islamic invasion and 936 CE c. Events By Place Asia King Taejo of Goryeo (Wanggeon defeats Hubaekje. 530 years before that event. Both periods (seven centuries and five centuries) are mentioned in the text.

The question of whether Sanjan or Diu was the site of the first settlement in India was discussed with intensity in the early 20th century when a memorial commemorating their arrival was first proposed. That memorial was finally constructed at Sanjan, where it is today known as the Sanjan Stambh. Although the narrative is unclear on where precisely the Zoroastrians came from, the text may be interpreted such that the emigrants originated from Sanjan (Khorasan), a settlement near the ancient city of Merv (in today's Turkmenistan). Sanjan is an ancient city on the southern edge of the Kara-kum Desert, in the vicinity of the historically eminent oasis-city of Merv. Merv ( Russian: Мерв from Persian: مرو Marv, sometimes transliterated Marw or Mary; cf Although the text states that many of the settlers took the name of 'Sanjana', the text is unclear as to whether they had done so before the naming of the settlement of Sanjan (that is, they had brought the name with them), or as a response to the naming of the settlement. The settlers were simply called 'Khorasanis' by the local citizens. ^[7] Moreover, (family) names are not believed to have been common until much later. The author of the text does not give himself a family name.

Scholars of Parsi history are divided over interpretations of the stipulations for asylum, in particular that of the last, i. e. that marriages only be performed in the evenings, as the Hindus do. Even without any inclination to infer a hidden meaning, it does raise the question why was such a minor issue was a condition for asylum. In general, "that [the Parsis] clothe their cultural concessions to their Indian environment in the form of conditions set by a Hindu prince can be considered as self-justification of this group which, without these concessions - that is, giving up only a few customs while traditions were otherwise strictly kept - would hardly have been able to survive [. . . ] as a minority in India. "^[8]

Notes

References

Bibliography

Further reading

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