Rajatarangini

Rājatarangiṇī (Rājataraṃgiṇī "The River of Kings") is a metrical historical chronicle of north-western Indian subcontinent, particularly the kings of Kashmir, written in Sanskrit by Kashmiri Brahman Kalhaṇa in 12th century CE.^[1]

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 inaccurate in their chronology, they still provide an invaluable source of information about early Kashmir and its neighbors in the north western parts of the Indian subcontinent, and are widely referenced by later historians and ethnographers.

Context

The Kashmir region (Kashmir valley is left of the centre of the map - see enlargement)

The Rajatarangini was written in Sanskrit by Kalhana, who was a Kashmiri Brahmin. The Rajataringini provides the earliest source on Kashmir that can be labeled as a "historical" text on this region. The broad valley of Kashmir, also spelled Cashmere^[2] 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, derived from Sanskrit वराहमूल (Boar's Molar), वराह (Varaha) meaning Boar + मूल (Mula) meaning deep or root.

Kalhana and 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 (Lord of the Gate) 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:^[3]

• 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, there is little evidence of authenticity and a few inconsistencies in the earlier chapters of his book, especially the first three books. 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.^[4] It is known, however, that Mihirakula was the son of Toramana. However, very little about those reigns are known anyway in compare to the later dynasties. The chronicles only start to align with other evidence by book IV.

Structure

The author of the Rajatarangini history chronicles the rulers of the valley from earliest times, from the epic period of the Mahābhārata to the reign of Sangrama Deva (c.1006 CE), before the Muslim era. The list of kings goes back to the 19th century BCE.^[5] 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.

The 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

Kushan territories and maximum extent of Kushan dominions under Kanishka (127–147 CE)

Lands of the Kushanshas (Indo-Sassanian) and Hunas (Kushano-Hepthalites) in 565 AD

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 ("Taranga") and verse. Thus (IV.678) is Book IV verse 678.

Evaluation

Kalhana lived in a time of political turmoil in Kashmir, at that time a brilliant center of civilization in a sea of barbarism. Kalhana was an educated and sophisticated Sanskrit scholar, 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.^[8] The Rajataringini is a Sanskrit account of the various monarchies of Kashmir, prior to the advent of Islam. Like the Shahnameh is to Persia, the Rajataringini is to Kashmir.

Translations

Rajatarangini was translated into Persian by Zain-ul-Abidin order.

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.
• Aurel Stein, done in the early 20th century, in 3 volumes - the most comprehensive.
• Gopikrishna Shastri (Ujjain) also translated the work into Hindi.

Television serial

A television series based on Rajatirangini named Meeras was begun in 1986 in Doordarshan Srinagar.

Another 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.

See also

• Buddhism in Kashmir
• Harsha of Kashmir
• Kota Rani
• Epic India
• Kashmir Shaivism philosophy
• Swami Lakshman Joo Raina

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
• Talk on the Rajatarangini at the Library of Congress by Chitralekha Zutshi 1:04:51
• K. N. Dhar on Kalhana
• Culture and Political History of Kashmir: Medieval Kashmir by Prithivi Nath Kaul Bamzai, 1994 ISBN 81-85880-31-X, 9788185880310