Satya-Pir/Satya-Narayan

The cult of Satya-Pir, one of the popular beliefs and practices that crept into the fold of popular dimension of Islam through its long association with other religions and probably also due to the increasing number of converts, is a semblance of the syncretic culture of Bengal. In popular Hinduism, Satya-Pir came to be worshipped as Satya-Narayan and legends and rituals were woven around both the beliefs.Experts maintain that the Muslim Satya Pir and the HinduSatyanarayan Puja essentially represent the same beliefs and rituals. A century ago in Bengal, the ritual was mainly performed by Hindu women and was interchangeably called Satya pir Puja or Satya Narayan puja and some Muslims also performed the Puja. In Bengal folklore, imageries of Narayan and Pir merged in such a way as somewhere He is addressed as Satya Narayana, implying that he is an avatar of Krishna, while yet another tale narrates how Satya Pircame from Mecca, thus emphasizing on his Islamic roots. In the Satya Narayan Panchali, two traditions are prominent. According to the first, the Hindu god Shri Hari appears in the guise of a faqir/mendicant before a poor Brahmin and instructs him to make offerings to Satya-Narayana; the Brahmin obeys and becomes rich. According to a second tradition, a merchant is blessed with a female child with the blessings of the Satya-Narayana. When she grows up and is married, the merchant takes his son-in-law on a voyage where the merchant apparently gets into trouble as he neglects the worship of Satya-Pir. But the merchant’s wife was a devotee of Satya-Pir, so he is eventually saved. Again, while returning, they were prone to be drowned as the merchant’s daughter being eager to see her husband, forgot to worship Satya-Pir. Once she realized the significance of the worship, they all get out of trouble. These legends made the Satya-Pir (or Satya-Narayana) a household name. The first book on Satya-Pir called Satya-Pir Kavya is attributed to Shaikh Faizullah and is believed to have been written between1545 and 1575 AD. Some scholars think that Sultan Alauddin Husain Shah (1494 to 1519 AD) was the originator of the Satya-Pir movement, though there is no corroborating evidence. In Orissa, the cult made an entry through Sufism where till date Hindus worship Satyanarayan and Pir together. Satya pir is also worshipped by certain Buddhists in Bangladesh.