HUNGER STRIKES AND RAJATARANGINI OF KALHANA

                           
A VIEW OF HAARI PARBAT FORT FROM BADAAM VAARI GARDEN . PHOTO AUTAR MOTA JULY 2011                         

HUNGER STRIKES  AND  RAJATARANGINI OF KALHANA

As per  KALHANA ,Sitting down for a solemn fast or Hunger strike was also used as a weapon by weak against the strong in Kashmir . This is  mentioned by him   in his Rajatarangini as PRAYOPAVESA.  Kalhana also informs that the kings used to appoint  officials  to watch  hunger strikes . There is a story that kalhana  narrates about King jayapida  in IV Taranga . The king  persecuted his subjects and confiscated  their  properties  . Many subjects emigrated abroad  and  those who remained resorted to  hunger strikes to force the king to mend his ways . 

Individuals and groups used it as a weapon to redress their grievances against the establishment or against some unbearable measure or law formulated by the king or the rulers . In Kashmir the practice was started by Budhists and obviously might have been absorbed by later philosophic systems . The core of this practice was  the principle of self sacrifice  .

( Autar Mota )

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