Rajatarangini

The Rājatarangiṇī ("The River of Kings") is a metrical chronicle of the kings of Kashmir from earliest time written in Sanskrit by Kalhaṇa. It is believed that the book was written sometime during 1147-1149 CE. The work generally records the heritage of Kashmir, but 120 verses of Rājatarangiṇī describe the misrule prevailing in Kashmir during the reign of King Kalash, son of King Ananta Deva of Kashmir. Although the earlier books are far from accurate in their chronology, they still provide an invaluable source of information about early Kashmir and its neighbors, and are widely referenced by later historians and ethnographers.

Context

The broad valley of Kashmir, also spelled Cashmere "Kashmir." "The Oxford English Dictionary". 2nd ed. 1989.] is almost completely surrounded by the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal range. Kalhana states that the valley of Kashmir was formerly a lake. This was drained by the great rishi or sage, Kashyapa, son of Marichi, son of Brahma, by cutting the gap in the hills at Baramulla ("Varaha-mula").

With a fertile soil and temperate climate, the valley is rich in rice, vegetables and fruits of all kinds, and famous for the quality of its wool. Kashmir has been inhabited since prehistoric times, sometimes independent but at times subjugated by invaders from Bactria, Tartary, Tibet and other mountainous regions to the North, and from the Indus valley and the Ganges valley to the South. At different times the dominant religion has been Animist, Buddhist, Hindu and (after the period of the history) Muslim.

Kalhana: The author & his philosophy

Kalhana (कल्हण) (c. 12th century CE) a Kashmiri Brahmin was the author of Rajatarangini, and is regarded as Kashmir's first historian. In fact, his translator Aurel Stein expressed the view that his was the only true Sanskrit history. Little is known about him except from what he tells us about himself in the opening verses of his book. His father Champaka was the minister in Harsha of Kashmir's court.

Kalhana in his opening Taranga of Rajatarangini presents his views on how history ought to be written. From Stein's translation [Kalhana's Rajatarangini: A Chronicle of the Kings of Kashmir; 3 Volumes > M.A.Stein (translator),(Introduction by Mohammad Ishaq Khan),published by Saujanya Books at Srinagar,2007,(First Edition pub. in 1900),ISBN 81-8339-043-9 / 8183390439.] :
* Verse 7. Fairness: That noble-minded author is alone worthy of praise whose word, like that of a judge, keeps free from love or hatred in relating the facts of the past.
* Verse 11. Cite earlier authors: The oldest extensive works containing the royal chronicles [of Kashmir] have become fragmentary in consequence of [the appearance of] Suvrata's composition, who condensed them in order that (their substance) might be easily remembered.
* Verse 12. Suvrata's poem, though it has obtained celebrity, does not show dexterity in the exposition of the subject-matter, as it is rendered troublesome [reading] by misplaced learning.
* Verse 13. Owing to a certain want of care, there is not a single part in Ksemendra's "List of Kings" (Nrpavali) free from mistakes, though it is the work of a poet.
* Verse 14. Eleven works of former scholars containing the chronicles of the kings, I have inspected, as well as the [Purana containing the] opinions of the sage Nila.
* Verse 15. By looking at the inscriptions recording the consecretations of temples and grants by former kings, at laudatory inscriptions and at written works, the trouble arising from many errors has been overcome.

Despite these stated principles, and despite the value that historians have placed on Kalhana's work, it must be accepted that his history was far from accurate. In the first three books, there is little evidence of authenticity and serious inconsistencies. For example, Ranaditya is given a reign of 300 years. Toromanu is clearly the Huna king of that name, but his father Mihirakula is given a date 700 years earlier [A history of Sanskrit literature by Arthur Berriedale Keith, Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1993; ISBN 8120809793, 9788120809796] . The chronicles only start to align with other evidence by book IV,

tructure of Rajatarangini Chronicle

The author of the Rajatarangini history chronicles the rulers of the valley from earliest times, from the epic period of the Mahābhārata to the the reign of Sangrama Deva (c.1006 CE), before the Muslim era. The list of kings goes back to the 19th century BCE [ [http://koenraadelst.bharatvani.org/] Koenraad Elst: Update on the Aryan Invasion Debate 1999] . Some of the kings and dynasties can be identified with inscriptions and the histories of the empires that periodically included the Kashmir valley, but for long periods the Rajatarangini is the only source.

This work consists of 7826 verses, which are divided into eight books called "Tarangas" (waves).

Kalhaṇa’s account of Kashmir begins with the legendary reign of Gonarda, who was contemporary to Yudhisthira of the Mahābhārata, but the recorded history of Kashmir, as retold by Kalhaṇa begins from the period of the Mauryas. Kalhaṇa’s account also states that the city of Srinagar was founded by the Mauryan emperor, Ashoka, and that Buddhism reached the Kashmir valley during this period. From there, Buddhism spread to several other adjoining regions including Central Asia, Tibet and China.

The Dynasties

The kings of Kashmir described in the Rājatarangiṇī can be roughly grouped into dynasties as in the table below.

Notes in parentheses refer to a book and verse. Thus (IV.678) is Book IV verse 678.

Evaluation

Kalhana's work is immensely valuable as a source of information on early legends, customs and history of Kashmir. But it would be naive to take his masterwork at face value. For a sensitive evaluation of the author, see Professor K. N. Dhar [ [http://www.koausa.org/Glimpses/Kalhana.html Kalhana - The Chronicler by Prof. K. N. Dhar] ]

Kalhana lived in a time of political turmoil in Kashmir, at that time a brilliant center of civilization in a sea of barbarism. Kahlana was an educated and sophisticated Brahmin, well-connected in the highest political circles. His writing is full of literary devices and allusions, concealed by his unique and elegant style. Kalhana was a poet. [Kalhana - Makers of Indian Literature. IDE087 by Somnath Dhar Paperback (Edition: 1998)]

Kahlana borrowed from authors such as Ksemendra, Padmamiriha and Chavillakara, and tells us that he used many other sources to confirm his information including engravings, literary manuscripts, other histories and local verbal traditions. Certainly, some of his descriptions show evidence of such research. However, he clearly used his imagination to fill in the gaps. The Gonandiya dynasty, taking its name from the legendary first king of Kashmir, is revived twice in the Rājatarangiṇī, but with little historical evidence. Perhaps Kahlana used it as a literary device, where the ancient and legitimate dynasty was periodically displaced by invaders and usurpers, but always re-emerged.

Kahlana's chronology, particularly in the first three books, is highly inaccurate. For a man of his time, exact dates may have been more a way to add realism and emphasis to the account. What mattered was the story. And in this, Kahlana can be relied on to provide an accurate view of the way in which his contemporary Kashmiris understood the tradition and history of their past. Where great events occurred, as in the stories of the Mauryas and the Karkotas, Kahlana probably gave a reasonably accurate summary. In the quieter times that intervened, he may well have invented details to fill the gaps.

But the "color", the casual mentions of customs and anecdotes, perhaps have the greatest value in giving an understanding of the past as perceived through the haze of tradition in Kashmir in the 12th century CE. And in this there are many clues to the ethnographer, if not to the historian.

Translations

There are four English translations of Rājatarangiṇī, by:
* Ranjit Sitaram Pandit
* Horace Hayman Wilson, secretary of The Asiatic Society of Bengal in the early 19th century, and the first English translator of the Rajataragini
* Jogesh Chandra Dutt in the late 19th century
* M. Aurel Stein, done in the early 20th century, in 3 volumes - the most comprehensive.

An edition of Jogesh Chandra Dutt's translation edited by S.L. Sadhu is also available. Parts of the Rajatarangini were translated into Persian, and included in the Ain-i-Akbari in the 16th century.

Television serial

A television serial based on this work has been completed by National Award winning director, Jyoti Sarup. The serial will be aired on Doordarshan in 2006. The serial is categorised under "classics". Other projects under this category were directed by directors like Gulzar and Basu Chatterjee.

ee also

* Buddhism in Kashmir
* Harsha of Kashmir

Footnotes

References

* List of topics on the land and the people of “Jammu and Kashmir” from a post by Y.K. Malaiya. Used with permission
* [http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=4351|Webcast: Talk on the Rajatarangini at the Library of Congress by Chitralekha Zutshi 1:04:51]
* [http://www.koausa.org/Glimpses/Kalhana.html K. N. Dhar on Kalhana]
* Culture and Political History of Kashmir: Medieval Kashmir By Prithivi Nath Kaul Bamzai, 1994 ISBN 818588031X, 9788185880310