Description

The Rivayats are collections of religious literature by different authors who wrote such guide-books in the medieval period. They were instructional books pertaining to customs, laws, the Zoroastrian scriptures, various religious ceremonies, the cultivation of land, the dakhmas for disposal of the dead, the seven keshwars (continents), the Genealogy of Zarathustra, the future prophets, etc.

The various Rivayats or books, number about seventeen and are translations from Pahlavi, serving as guides to Parsis in India from the Rivayat authorities in Iran.

This book was first published in 1932 after the K R Cama Oriental Institute decided to entrust research on the Rivayats to a competent scholar who was then asked to prepare an edition for publication, complete with a translation and extensive notes. This task was assigned to a recognised authority in this field, Ervad Bamanji Nusserwanji Dhabhar.

Sir Jivanji Jamshedji Mody wrote the foreword for the book where he notes that “Parts of the compiledRevayats have been published with translations and notes by some scholars. But this work is the first of its kind comprehending the whole of such a Revayat and dealing with it in an efficient manner. The Persian Revayats are not considered as authoritative as Avesta and Pahlavi writings, but still, they have an importance of their own. “

A liberal donation from the Zartoshty Brothers (Faridoon and Mehraban) of Vancouver made this reprint  possible. 

This book is priced at US$60.00, inclusive of air-mail postage, packing, handling and bank charges.