The English Translation of Candayan

This book is the first English translation of Cāndāyan, the pioneer work in a long tradition of Indian-Sufi love narratives. The story was adapted from an oral epic Chanaini, popular in the Awadhi speaking region of north India in the fourteenth century. The early manuscripts of Cāndāyan, though com­posed in the Awadhi dialect, were recorded in the Persian script. Each stanza-like unit is introduced by a phrase or sentences in the Persian language style, making it necessary for a reader to know the Persian script and language, as well as the Awadhi dialect. This somewhat limits the access to fully explore Cāndāyan. In addition to this, the esoteric interpret­ation, which is the distinguishing feature that gives the Indian-Sufi masnavī literature its unique identity, was also not yet realized.