| Jahanism | |
|---|---|
 The Ajanic lion, the most famous symbol of Jahanism | |
|
Foundation |
Around 1st century |
|
Adherents |
Around 230 million |
|
Origin |
New Tarajan |
|
Head |
King Friederick Wilhelm II Van Vinkel |
|
Nations with largest adherents |
New Tarajan, Sdudeti-Karabak, North Ajania, Antanares |
|
Founder |
Jahan |
Jahanism is the official State religion of the Kingdom of New Tarajan, the Principality of North Ajania and the Grand Duchy of Sdudeti-Karabak.
Its origins go back to the very beginning of Tarajani history. Although scholars still debate about the issue, today it is assumed by most part of them that the Jahanism is the result of the fusion of pre-Ajanic polytheism (dating back to the so-called Paragaal Culture and seeing its maximum level of expansion under the Muraz Civilization) and the animistic polytheism of the Ajanic conquerors who invaded the Plain of Kashair.
It has no official founder or charismatic prophet: instead, it evolved in the immediate aftermath of the Ajanic invasion, quickly becoming the official religion of the newborn Ajanic Empire (I-VII century). And, indeed, it was the imperial patronage the main factor which allowed and promoted such an evolution, and the successive development of a well-defined philosophy.
The religion kept its role until the arrival of the Antanaresian conquerors in the XVI century. Bringing with them a new faith, Christianity, these knights soon began to persecute Jahanism, as the main "cultural haven" of all those Ajans who resisted invasion. Jahanism was officially banished from the lands of Tarajan in this century.
But this was only a temporary setback: in the XVII century, in the aftermath of the civil wars which laid waste of the Kingdom, Sigismund VI understood the role Jahanism could have in the consolidation of the monarchy (due to its emphasis to the role of the sovereign it took from the ancient Ajanic imperial propaganda). Thus, in 1656 Christianity was banned from the Kingdom, the Church banished and its properties seized by the Crown. Jahanism became the new official State religion (despite the ethnic apartheid the Ajans will suffer until the Liberal Revolution and even until the XX century).
The Temple of the Seven Gods in Astana. Built in the XV century, it is probably the most iconic temple of Jahanism.
General Features[]
Jahanism can be defined either as a religion or a philosophy: centuries of development during the golden age of the Ajanic Empire laid the ground for an highly-intellectual faith, where ancient animistic beliefs, classic polytheistic features and even monotheistic elements came to form a unique mixture.
Jahanism provides for the existence of the Seven Gods, "organized" in a sort of pyramidal structure:
Jahan
Yaligham Kilijali
Ab Huva Zamin Atsh
Jahan is without doubts the most prominent and central figure of the religion (which of course took its name from him): the son of Kilijali (God of War and Conflict) and Yaligham (Goddess of Arts, Music and Philosophy), he is the mythical leader of the Ajans, who unified all the tribes and led them in the final, cataclysmic war against Arzimakil, God-King of Muraz and father of Shraman, his lost love.
The other four Gods are representations of the Elements: Ab or اب (Water), Huva or هوا (Air), Zamin or زمین (Earth), Atsh or آتش (Fire). They are thought to be, by many scholars, the most prominent heritage of the Murazian civilization inside the Ajanic religion. Even the pyramidal organization is undoubtedly a legacy of the Murazians, as witnessed by the ziqqurats they built throughout Tarajan as a symbolic representation of the structure of their own pantheon.
All the philosophical schools of Jahanism gives a fundamental importance to the Pyramid: it is considered the representation of the natural ascension toward perfection (from the four Elements, the material ground of life, through the perfect fusion of instincts, represented by Kilijali, and spirit, represented by Yaligham, to the final perfection of Jahan, who unifies everything inside himself).
The School of Tariz Qin Firuz (1383-1470, probably the most important intellectual figure of the Ajanic history) further developed this view by integrating the whole series of myths of Jahanism into a hierarchy inspired by the Pyramid: every myth thus comes to represent a particular step in the spiritual ascension of the individual (and, thanks to such an emphasis on the myths, the School of Firuz gave great attention to the collection and copy of manuscripts, preserving them and allowing us to enjoy them nowadays).
The peculiar structure of the Divine Pyramid allowed Jahanism to be a perfect religion for intellectuals and philosophers, by postulating that the Truth can be reached through different ways (from every single Element an individual can reach the following step) and thanks to its strong emphasis on the balance between instincts and spiritual activity (represented by the arts, music and philosophy). The incredible and sudden growth of Jahanist philosophical schools in the IV and V century (thanks to the patronage of Emperors such as Humyat Jahan Shah and the brilliant speculations of philosophers such as Abbas) is the perfect demonstration of this peculiar attitude of Jahanism.
The Balance being another fundamental element of Jahanism, as we have seen, gave also a great boost to the development of jurisprudence since the very beginning of the Ajanic Empire; a tradition which is still kept in modern-day New Tarajan.
And the emphasis on balance also allowed Jahanism to develop a peculiarly-liberal view on sex: as part of one of the two prominent parts of human being (instinct) but easily being a source of inspiration for the spirit (which, on his side, can influence the instinct through Beauty), the sexual life is deemed by Jahanists to be one of the most important sides of the lives of individuals and, as such, something to be protected and promoted. This also allowed Jahanism to become a promoter of LGBT and other civil rights during the XX century, with a very positive influence over the Tarajani legislation.
Other deities[]
Far from sharing the same tendency toward exclusiveness of monotheistic religions, Jahanism absorbed and adapted traditions coming from both inside and outside Tarajan. The most conspicous sign of this process of constant adaptation and integration is the number of minor deities present in Jahanist mythology, and some of them still receive a religious treatment as in the past. The list includes: Arzimakil, Shraman, Maha, Shalimar, and the evil dragon Zahhak, among the others. Each deity has a complex relationship with the others (including in some cases the Seven Gods), often a confused one, due to the large amount of legends and myths around them. A primary example in kind is the figure of Maha, who's sometimes treated as an avatar of Ab (the Water), or alternatively as an independent entity, sometimes the wife of Arzimakil and mother of Shraman, or even all those together.
Organization[]
The pyramidal structure modeled also the organization of Jahanism: the religious head of Jahanists is the Tarajani King (who also has the title of Shah of all the Ajans and, as such, is the direct successor of the ancient Ajanic Shahs and Padishas).
Under him, there are two "branches": the philosophical schools, which act in full independence (now inside the framework offered by Tarajani universities and academic institutions) and the temples, managed by a Saddar (priest), overseen and elected by a Council of Wises (composed by the most prominent members of a community, chosen among those who have demonstrated their faith and commitment, particularly in the intellectual field). Finally, there are the faithfuls.
It shall be remembered that the Saddars, despite their peculiar rank, are in no way similar to christian priests: they are more similar to Muslim imams (obviously, they can be married).