STUDIES IN PARSI HISTORY by SHAPURSHAH HORMASJI HODIWALA 1920

The historian S H Hodiwala discusses the Traditional Dates in Parsi History. Dates of the Sack of Sanjan, Jadi Rana and the Kisah -i-Sanjan, the colophons of Mihirapan Kaikhusru, Parsi Sanskrit Colophons and the dates of the Riwayat’s. He also gives a translation of the Kissah-i-Sanjan.

He writes, “It is fairly well known that the only source of our knowledge of the early history of the Parsis is the Kisaah-i-Sanjan, a narrative in Persian verse by Bahman Kaikobad Hamjiyar Padam Kaikobad in 1600 AC.”

“Bahman does not give us a precise chronological starting point, it remains open to the reader to infer whether a long period of time, or a short one, whether many years or a few years passed between events”. The 846 lines of the Kisaah are translated from page 102.

From page 199 he writes about ancient documents which are family papers of some Zoroastrians who lived in the 16^th and 17^th Century which show the kind of life they led. “It is fairly well known that the people were in a state of obscurity and indigence in those times”.

“Most of the documents tell us, which may appear incredible today, that the Parsis of those times lived for the most part, only by agriculture and retail.” “These are the oldest original papers in existence relating to our ancestors”

This is a very meticulously researched book with historical references. A must read to know the truth about our past.

The original article was published in the

JOURNAL OF THE IRANIAN ASSOSSIATION VOL. II JANUARY 1914.

THE TRADITIONAL DATES OF PARSI HISTORY by PROFESSOR S. H. HODIWALA M. A. (pg309 TO 325)

Objects of the Iranian Assossiation.

• To maintain the purity of the Zoroastrian religion and remove the excrescences that have gathered around it
• To expose and counteract the effects of such teachings of Theosophists and others as tend

1. To corrupt the religion of Zarathustra by adding elements foreign to it, and
2. To bring about the degeneration of a progressive and virile community like the Parsis, and make them a body of superstitious and unpractical visionaries

• To promote measures for the welfare and advancement of the community.

MEMBERS OF THE MANAGING COMMITTEE OF THE IRANIAN ASSOSSIATION

President                   Mr H. J Bhabha

Vice President           Mr J A Dalal

Mr L N Banaji

MEMBERS

Mr D F Gimi                  Mr Ardeshir Servai

Mr Padamji B Desai     Mr  N N Katrak

Mr M F Anklesaria       Mr D M Madan

Mr P A Engineer           N N Kanga

Mr Jamshedji Nadirshaw

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