Rare Georgian translation of “Kalilah and Dimnah” on display at Tbilisi exhibit

TEHRAN,Dec.23(MNA) -- A rare Georgian translation of “Kalilah and Dimnah”, a book of animal fables from classical Persian literature, has been put on display in an exhibition of manuscripts at the National Archives of Georgia in Tbilisi. The book had been translated into Georgian by Vakhtang VI, the Iranian cultural attaché’s office in the city announced in a press release on Friday. Vakhtang VI was the regent of Kartli, eastern Georgia, as a nominal vassal to Iran’s Safavid dynasty from 1703 to 1711. He later became king over the area until 1723. Vakhtang was also known as a notable legislator, scholar, critic, translator and poet. He introduced the printing press to Georgia. He had the Georgian annals edited by a commission of scholars. His translation of “Kalilah and Dimnah” was edited by Prince Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani (1658-1725), who was a eminent Georgian writer. The original version of “Kalilah and Dimnah” was translated by the famous Sassanid physician Borzuyeh when he was sent off to India to gather the best minds and sources of knowledge of the day. He rendered the ancient text “Panchatantr” from Sanskrit into Persian and named it “Kalilah and Dimnah”. This became the basis for a Syriac translation as Kalilag and Damnag and a translation into Arabic in 750 CE by Persian scholar Abdullah ibn Muqaffa as Kalilah wa Dimnah. A new Persian version from the 12th century became known as Kalileh-o-Demneh and this was the basis of Mullah Hossein Kashefi’s 15th century Anvar-e Soheyli (The Lights of Canopus).