The Persian Adaptation of Chandayan: Understanding Intercultural Communication in Medieval India

Abstract

Chandayan was composed in late fourteenth century by Daud. The text was unique among its contemporaries from the perspective of language, script, and content. It was the first text of Awadhi (Hindwi). The present paper is an attempt to study the reasons behind the composition of such a syncretic text. Who were the people for whom it was composed? Why did it was patronized by the wazir of Delhi Sultan, Khan- i Jahan second? After a brief discussion on the above mentioned questions, the paper will be focused on the Persian adaptation of the story of Chandayan during the seventeenth century. Hamid Kalanauri adapted this story into Persian during the reign of Emperor Jahangir and named it Ismatnama. The study would attempt to bring to light the picture that contemporary sources paint. How did the story got circulated and transmitted to various circles? It would try to seek answers to the following questions. Why did Hamid Kalanauri choose this story? What was the medium of transmission? What was the reason behind its Persian adaptation and how did the story was reimagined for a new audience? The adaptation dismantled the barrier of language and open the text to a wider world. The study would be based on primary evidence, substantiated by secondary literature where required. The texts used for the study are Persian court chronicles, tazkira literature and vernacular sources.