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Jadi Rana was an Indian ruler of Sanjan, Valsad in present-day Gujarat [1] as per the Qissa-i Sanjan , an epic poem completed in 1599, which is an account of the flight of some of the Zoroastrians who were subject to religious persecution following the fall of the Sassanid Empire, and of their early years in India, where they found refuge. [2] A 20th-century translation of the Qissa transliterates the name as Jádi Rana.
According to the Qissa, Jadi Rana had a reputation for fairness that preceded him, which prompted some of the Zoroastrians who were fleeing religious persecution to seek asylum in his kingdom.
Jadi Rana asked them to explain their religious beliefs and customs, which they did. Satisfied with their explanation, he granted their request for asylum provided they adopt the local language (Gujarati); that their women adopt local dress (the Sari ); and that they henceforth cease to bear arms. The refugees accepted the conditions and founded the settlement of Sanjan (cf: Sanjan in Greater Khorasan). [3]
A short while later (the Qissa does not say how long), these Zoroastrians would request and receive permission from the king to establish a Fire Temple there. That fire, which would be moved to Udvada in the 18th century, is today considered to be the most important of its kind on the Indian subcontinent.
The Zoroastrians of the Qissa are believed to have been the ancestors of some members of the present-day Parsi community of the Indian subcontinent. Many Parsis consider the Qissa to be a factual account, and there are several ancillary Parsi legends in which Jadi Rana plays an important role. The origin and age of these legends is unknown, and they continue to be popular among Parsis.
Jadi Rana's enquiry into Zoroastrian beliefs and customs is said to have been satisfied by the recitation of fifteen Sanskrit verses (Shloka) that summarized the most important tenets of Zoroastrianism. These fifteen verses, together with another verse that is believed to have been the king's response to them, are collectively known to the Parsis as the "Sixteen Shloka". [3]
One interesting, perhaps apocryphal Parsi legend relates the course of the initial meeting between Jadi Rana and the newly landed emigrants: When the Zoroastrians requested asylum, Jadi Rana motioned to a vessel of milk filled to the very brim to signify that his kingdom was already full and could not accept refugees. In response, one of the Zoroastrian priests added a pinch of sugar to the milk, thus indicating that they would not bring the vessel to overflowing and indeed make the lives of the citizens sweeter. Jadi Rana gave shelter to the emigrants and permitted them to practice their religion and traditions freely. [4]
Parsis or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent whose religion is Zoroastrianism. Their ancestors migrated to India from Sassanid Iran following its conquest by Arab Muslims under the Rashidun Caliphate in the 7th century CE. They are the first of two such groups to have done so, with the other being Indian Iranis, who migrated to the subcontinent many centuries later following the rise to power of the Qajar dynasty in 18th-century Iran. According to a Zoroastrian epic, Qissa-i Sanjan, Parsis continued to migrate from Iran to Gujarat in between the 8th and 10th centuries CE, where they were given refuge to escape religious persecution by Muslims during and after the early Muslim conquests.
A dakhma, also known as a Tower of Silence, is a circular, raised structure built by Zoroastrians for excarnation, in order to avert contamination of the soil and other natural elements by the dead bodies. Carrion birds, usually vultures and other scavengers, consume the flesh. Skeletal remains are gathered into a central pit where further weathering and continued breakdown occurs.
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. Topographically, Sanjan is located in the Greater Khorasan region of Central Asia. Politically, Sanjan is in the present-day Mary Province of Turkmenistan.
A fire temple, Agiary, Atashkadeh, Atashgah (آتشگاه) or Dar-e Mehr is the place of worship for the followers of Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion of Iran (Persia). In the Zoroastrian religion, fire, together with clean water, are agents of ritual purity. Clean, white "ash for the purification ceremonies [is] regarded as the basis of ritual life", which "are essentially the rites proper to the tending of a domestic fire, for the temple [fire] is that of the hearth fire raised to a new solemnity". For, one "who sacrifices unto fire with fuel in his hand ..., is given happiness".
Sanjan is a town situated in Umargam taluka in the Valsad district in the state of Gujarat, India. Sanjan is located around 70 km from the Valsad city. It is the earliest settlement of the Parsis in India.
Bhikaiji Rustom Cama or simply as, Madam Cama, was one of the prominent figures in the Indian independence movement.
Navsari is the ninth biggest city in the state of Gujarat in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Navsari District. Navsari is situated between Surat & Mumbai. Navsari is a twin city of Surat. It is located 37 km south of Surat. As per 2011 Census of India, Navsari is 16th biggest city of Gujarat state. It ranked 10th most populous city of Gujarat in 1991 Census of India and 2001 Census of India. Navsari is the 23rd "cleanest city of India" located in the west zone according to the Swachh Bharat Urban mission. Dandi village near Navsari was the focal point of the great Salt March led by Mahatma Gandhi during civil disobedience movement of India.
The Irani are an ethno-religious community in the Indian subcontinent; they descend from the Zoroastrians that emigrated from Iran to British India in the 19th and 20th centuries. They are culturally, linguistically, ethnically and socially distinct from the Parsis, who – although also Zoroastrians – emigrated to the Indian subcontinent from Greater Iran many centuries prior, starting with the Islamic conquest of Persia.
The Baku Ateshgah, often called the "Fire Temple of Baku", is a castle-like religious temple in Surakhany town, a suburb in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The Story of Sanjan is an account of the early years of Zoroastrian settlers on the Indian subcontinent that was originally written in 1599 CE by Parsi priest, Bahman Kaikobad. 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.
Udvada is a town situated in Pardi taluka in the Valsad district in the state of Gujarat, India. Udvada is a coastal town located around 24 km from the Valsad city. The Zoroastrian temple, Udvada Atash Behram is situated here.
The persecution of Zoroastrians has been recorded throughout the history of Zoroastrianism, an Iranian religion. The notably large-scale persecution of Zoroastrians began after the rise of Islam in the 7th century CE; both during and after the conquest of Persia by Arab Muslims, discrimination and harassment against Zoroastrians took place in the form of forced conversions and sparse violence. Muslims who arrived in the region after its annexation by the Rashidun Caliphate are recorded to have destroyed Zoroastrian temples, and Zoroastrians living in areas that had fallen under Muslim control were required to pay a tax known as jizya.
Nargol is a village located in the Indian state of Gujarat.
The culture of Gujarat is both ancient, new, and modern.
Variav is a small village situated in Surat District, Gujarat, India. Variav is on the right bank of Tapti River. Variav was recently added to the region of Surat Municipal Corporation, and is now a suburb of Greater Surat.
Dr. Sir Ervad Jivanji Jamshedji Modi (1854–1933), who also carried the title of Shams-ul-Ulama, was a prominent Zoroastrian Parsi-Indian priest, scholar and community leader in Bombay. One of "the most decorated priests in history", he wrote over 70 books, produced over 120 scholarly papers on Zoroastrian history, traveled and researched into Zoroastrian affairs extensively and was instrumental in organizing the Parsi community in India. During his lifetime he had been called "the greatest living authority on the ancient history and customs of the Parsis."
Sanjan Stambh is a memorial column at Sanjan in Gujarat, which commemorates the arrival of Zoroastrians there eleven centuries ago as a group of shipwrecked migrants who had fled Muslim persecution after the downfall of the Persian Empire and were welcomed to India by Hindu king Jadi Rana.
Jamshedji Sorab Kukadaru was a Zoroastrian priest in Mumbai, India revered by Zoroastrians for a number of miracles he is believed to have performed. He was well known by his contemporaries for his simple lifestyle and asceticism and unflinching adherence to priestly purity rules. Most of his life is said to have been spent in prayer.
Zoroastrianism in India has significant history within the country. Zoroastrians have lived in the Indian subcontinent since the Sasanian period. The Zoroastrians also moved to India in successive migrations during the Islamic period. The initial migration following the Muslim conquest of Persia has been canonized as a religious persecution by invading Muslims. Zoroastrianism meanwhile suffered a decline in Iran after the conquests. Subsequent migrations also took place after the attempts by Safavids to convert their subjects to Shiism.
The Iranshah Atash Behram, also known as the Udwada Atash Behram is a sacred fire housed in a temple in Udvada, Gujarat on the west coast of India. It is the first of the eight fire temples of the Zoroastrian religion in the country. The Atash Bahram, meaning "Victorious Fire", is the oldest fire temple in India, dated to the eighth century, and represents the historical cultural and religious links with Iran. The current temple housing the sacred fire was built in 1742 by Motlibai Wadia from Bombay. The temple structure, built spaciously, is well decorated and contains the Dasturji Kaiyoji Mirza hall and a museum. The main hall of the temple is accessed through a two-stage staircase. The temple attracts Zoroastrian pilgrims from all parts of India, Pakistan, and from around the world.