Indian streets are
ready to be filled with colour and water mixed with joyous festive atmosphere
were white costumes are going to be adorned with the colour as depicted in the
famous movie “outsourced”, while Jews have started baking “ozneyhaman” , Israeli
streets are ready to welcome the Adloyada Holon and more carnivals, private
party filled with full of festive mood ….
According to the Book
of Esther, Haman the minister to King Ahasuerus planned to kill all the
Jews in the empire, but his plans were foiled by Mordecai and his adopted
daughter Esther who had risen to become Queen of Persia. The day of
deliverance became a day of feasting and rejoicing. This day of rejoicing or
the victory of good over evil is celebrated annually as Purim on 14th of the
Hebrew month of Adar. Similarly in India Holi is celebrated at the approach of
vernal equinox, on the phalguna purnima (Full Moon). The
festival date varies every year, per the Hindu calendar, and typically
comes in March, sometimes February in the Gregorian calendar. The festival
signifies the victory of good over evil. It is a coincidence that these two
festivals fall on the same day or almost near.
Does this coincidence have
something to do with Jews of India???
Yes it does..
In Dutch abstract of
The Chronicles of Jews of Cochin, Leopold Jacob van Dort writes
“In charge of the above
mentioned Joseph Halogua, are preserved two epistles, which King Ahasuerus (as
it is found in the Book of Esther) sent respecting the affair of Haman and
Mordecai, and they are written in the Tamuly language.
“The descendants of the
aborigines of Malabar, who go by the name of caieryns or Cannaryns, have still,
in their pagodas, or their temples, copies of those letters , and celebrate, on
the same day with the Jews, the feast of Purim, and say that day is to be a
festive day to them, as an everlasting statue. For they were commanded by their
then prince, viz., the King of Puna and Cannara, who held the kingdom under the
dominance of Ahasuerus…
Reading his account we
get a small clue of an Indian festival celebrated on the same day with the
Jews, the feast of Purim. Considering that day is to be a festive day of
everlasting statue. The festival falling on the same day is none other Holi. But
for me something which really strikes is the Tamil epistles send to Indian by a
Persian king.
Interestingly Richard
Treloar’s article presented to the Bible and Critical Theory Seminar held at
Monash University on August 24, 2000. Under
the title: "Rein scribing difference: translating the Scroll of
Ahasuerus" , says “The manuscript was found, along with a canonical
Esther Scroll מגילת
אסתר (Megillat
Esther) in one of the synagogues of the so-called 'black Jews' at Cochin on the
Malabar coast of India, in the early nineteenth century. Believed to be about 150 years
old at the time of discovery, it was copied (so it is asserted by the
aforementioned editor) "from an ancient Roll bearing the same title",
itself transcribed from "brazen tablets preserved at Goa".
One more thing
is clear that the copy in possession with Joseph hallegua was a translated /
transcribed version of it. Probably the same Scroll of Ahasuerus מגילת אחשורוש which was found in the synagogue of
Malabari Jews as mentioned above.
The conclusion is made with the strong evidence ie the scroll found was having a preface of unknown scribe. Translated by Thomas Yeates
“The Letter of King
Ahasuerus, which Impious Haman sent into all the provinces of India and Ethiopia,
in the name of the King. Translated from the Biblia, written in the Greek Tongue
by the Seventy Elders in the days of King Ptolemy. And these Chapters are contained
among the Books called Apocrypha, or hidden books, and which are not reckoned in
the Sacred Canon, whereof there is an evidence in the Talmud, that the wise Men
of Israel hid up many Books for some reason, even as is found in the Talmud, Sabbath,
Chapter, Col kithbe, that they sought to conceal and lay aside even the Book of
Coheleth (Ecclesiastes) itself”
Finally when we
read everything together we need to search for the epistle of King Ahasuerus
inscribed in a Brass/ copper plate in a temple of Goa; the temple which
celebrates festival on the same day of Purim. That’s on a phalguna purnima (full
moon) from an Indian perspective.
Discovery of
this brass/copper plate will be another greatest achievement. Unless it is found
we may have to consider it as a mystery in History.
