Posted on: 1 November 2014

Article:
The Persian Ramayanas
By Rana Safvi

The story of Ramayana is one of the most ancient and sacred stories of India. It was originally composed in Sanskrit by Valmiki and later translated in Awadhi by Tulsidas.

However, besides the famous Ramayana in Sanskrit and Hindi there are no less than twenty-three Ramayana in Indo-Persian Literature. Some of these versions are translated from the original Sanskrit, while others are based on the Ramayana of Tulsidas.

According to Abul Fazl these translations were ordered by Emperor Akbar to dispel the fanatical hatred between the Hindus and the Muslims, as he was convinced that it arose only from mutual ignorance.

This statement is as relevant today as it was then for all communities. It is important we read each other's scriptures and make an effort to understand each other's religion, culture and beliefs. It is very easy to hate in ignorance or get taken in by hate filled propaganda by bigots and fanatics.

After all there is just One Supreme Being, we just call Him by different names and worship in different ways

The first Ramayana in Persian was by Mulla’ Abdul Qadir Badayuni. In A.H. 992/A.D. 1584 Emperor Akbar asked him to translate this story from Sanskrit. Badayauni though reluctant to translate it, spent four years on this assignment and finished it in A.H. 997/A.D. 1589.

It was beautifully illustrated unlike the original Sanskrit Ramayana and contains 176 illustrations. It is kept in the Sawai Man Singh, Jaipur Museum

According to B.N Goswamy in “Another Ramayana” “the manuscript seems to have belonged once to the mother of the emperor Akbar, Hamida Banu, often referred to with the title of Maryam Makani’, ‘dwelling at the same loftiness as the Virgin Mary’. There is increasing evidence that Hamida Bano was a collector of books in her own right, for some very early manuscripts —dating back even to the days when Humayun had just conquered India again— bear her name, and the impression of her seal, indicating her ownership of these.”
On the flyleaf of this Ramayana, too, there are numerous seals and inscriptions, among them a note that this manuscript, completed in 1593, was viewed by Maryam Makani in August 1604, apparently when she was on her deathbed. There are other seals and dated notes on the leaf, including inspection notes by the emperors Jahangir and Aurganzeb, in their respective hands. Apparently, this was no ordinary manuscript. For, to its intrinsic value as a work of art (one note records the price of the work as 550 gold mohurs) had been added — in the eyes of the two emperors — the immeasurable value of the fact that the hands of a revered ancestor of theirs had once touched it.

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Image:
The Ramayana translated by Badayuni


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Thanks to Ratnesh Mathur for suggesting this article.

Thank you for sharing this

Brilliant article.

Excellent article! Atukuri Molla was a Telugu writer who translated Ramayana into Telugu in mid 16th century; she was questioned why she translated when it has already been done. Her response - "Ramayana had been written many times. Does someone stop taking food because it has been taken every day? So is the story of Rama and one can write, read and love it as many number of times as possible."

Presious manuscript in > Persian Ramayanas<...

Kusuma Raksamani. For your information.

Amazing article. ..

Amazing indeed...............

valmiki and others might have only compiled the orally maintained contents

Tulsidas's Ramayana is an independent composition and not an Awadhi translation of Valmiki's work.

Thanks for the information !

நல்லதகவலுக்கு நன்றி

Dara Shukoh, The eldest son and crown prince of Shah Jahan also had many Hindu manuscripts translated into Farsi and Urdu .

Ramayana is translated in all Indian languages and everytime the translator or re-creator pumped his ideas, understanding, elaboration of few parts were attached into and for this you can see a large variety of interpretations. That's the beauty of an ongoing creation of epic.

interesting

ratul - but u shud also someday mention the massive popularity of the ramayanas in the entire south asia ! many versions & subtexts too ! this includes thailand , malayasia , indonesia , kampuchia or combodia etc.

Shareing it right now..

Subhas Pariharji, u r right... Even before Valmeeki, Ramayan story was there and few others had also written on this subject... and all have slightly different stories...

dibyendu paul yes sir u are right very much. recently dd barathi showed ramayana's influences in south asian countries. they still perform many episodes of ramayana through their dance forms. it was highly informative. let me see whether i can get that docu in net.

Excellent Post

Maybe, this is the documentary about the South Asian Countries and influence of Indian literature and life on them! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVr2o2usnfs

Akbar ... so positively different from hordes of fanatics such as ISIS etc

Thanks for sharing such valuable & precious information.

जय श्री राम । हिन्दुस्तान को ग़द्दारों से आज़ाद कराएँ । जय श्री राम ।

Every Hindu must not just express happiness with this excellent post, but must also read the entire Ramayana, any authentic version, at least once in a year. Let's persuade ourselves and each of our family members to start doing so this year onwards - if we have not done in the past. When i was in primary school, I remember asking my mother who had never been to a school in her life but became literate with Tulsidasji's Ramayan (later on she started reading Sanskrit shlokas perfectly too) as to why she reads Ramayan again and again and she replied that every time she learns something new. As I grew up I experienced the same phenomenon; every time I read Ramayan or Geeta or Mahabharat, I learn something more of those times, our times and human and societal behaviour. Mahatma Gandhi once observed that some how, during his growing period he did not read much of religious texts except Ramayan & Geeta, and these he read again and again and again, and whenever he faced grave dilemmas in his life he found the answer in Ramayan &/or Geeta. Now that Mr.i Rana Safvi's article has brought this part of history to our mind, let's energise our mind by reading the entire Ramayan at least once a year, if we / our family members are not already doing so.

Excellent......Jai Shree Ram.....& The Great Akbar Too....(Y)

jai shree ram

You are Excellent sir ji

Thanks for the information!

Amazing information

RooT of HinduisM........:)

Tulsidas did not translate valmiki ramayan in avadhi -hindi. it is a seperate book.valmiki ramayan is the original book so definitely it could be its source.

It is, and should remain a matter of choice! And NO person can dictate what a Hindu must, or must not do! To each his own! JAI Shree RAM

What should also be noted,that the king like Alamgir Aurangzeb also contributed positively...the Fanatics who try to Misguide masses using his namr negatively should pick from this post and try to change their Approach,by start spread love,peace,humanity among Indians.

Vatsal Upadhyay Anil Kumar Aryan Mayank Tripathi

excellent post, god bless you brother......

Bbeautyful !!!

Thanks for sharing this information.

great work

I saw some of these in the US.

Great, thanks.

One lives & learns everyday Great sharing

पेज "मोदी सरकार का रिपोर्ट कार्ड "हैं अतः आप भी लाइक व शेअर करेसोच बदलो देश बदलेगा !सबका साथ सबका विकास! जयहिन्द -वन्देमातरम -भारत माता कि जय https://www.facebook.com/pages/मोदी-सरकार-का-रिपोर्ट-कार्ड/592208167559342

Jyoti Sharma

Tks to send to me your pic

Jai Shree Ram

Interesting facts.

GOOD THANKS

Thanks for sharing, Renu.

It is not for nothing that Emperor Jalal ud din is famous as "Akbar the Great".... Islam brought sufism in India... it was accepted with great reverence by all the people including Hindus and Sikhs of India..... it is because of that the whole of India is dotted with mazaars of sufi saints, where Indians of all huges throng on thursdays and pray in unism.....Akbar Baadshah give an official recognition to secularism in mutifaith India.

Very informative and interesting

Must see at sawai maansingh museum in jpur

what a post - a treasure of information

treasure!

It was not translated by Tulsidas.His Ramayana is his own,just like Ramayan of Radheshyam Kathavachak is hisa own,which is completely different of thatof valmniki and Tulsidas

Great

There is some communication gap which people don't want to fill it obviously for their personal vested interests.

Thanks for sharing information with one suggestion, Tulsidas RAM CHARISMA AS was not translation of original sanskrit epic but it was basid on it and written in the language of the common people.

My family originally belongs to Quetta, which is in Pakistan now. My grandfather couldn't read hindi and we had Ramayana in Persian at our house. I think it's still there somewhere