THE RĀJATARAṄGIṆĪ ENTERS UNESCO: A TRIBUTE TO KALHAṆA
UNESCO has inscribed the Srinagar manuscript of the Rājataraṅgiṇī on its Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register. The decision was taken in Jakarta, and the manuscript, preserved in the Oriental Research Library in Srinagar, has been recognised alongside manuscripts of the Mahābhārata and the Arthaśāstra. This is a great honour for Kashmir, a fitting tribute to Kalhaṇa, and a well-deserved recognition of the extraordinary work he bequeathed to posterity.
Kalhaṇa
composed the Rājataraṅgiṇī in Sanskrit in Kashmir in 1148–49. Comprising 7,826
verses divided into eight books, it is arguably the finest historical work in
Sanskrit literature. No other Sanskrit text undertakes quite the same ambitious
enterprise: presenting a continuous account of Kashmir's history, from the
legendary draining of the ancient Satisara Lake to the middle of the twelfth
century. No other work has given Kashmir such an enduring historical memory.
Kalhaṇa: The Historian and His Method
Kalhaṇa
was a historian of exceptional distinction, especially by the standards of his age. He recognised the importance of historical sources,
acknowledged earlier chroniclers, examined their accounts and, where necessary,
questioned and criticised them. Among the earlier authorities he mentions are Kṣemendra's
Nṛpāvalī and works associated with Padmamihira and Helārāja. He also drew upon
the Nīlamata Purāṇa, genealogical traditions, inscriptions, royal grants and
other documentary material. His use of earlier accounts was not one of passive
reproduction. He compared different narratives, examined inconsistencies and
pointed out errors. He also made use of coins, monuments, family records and
oral traditions. His father and uncle had served at court, giving him access to
valuable information about political affairs. For events closer to his own
time, he could draw upon the testimony of people who had witnessed them.
His
conception of historical objectivity was remarkably advanced. Kalhaṇa
maintained that only that poet deserved praise whose account of the past, like
the judgement of a judge, remained free from love and hatred. The historian, in
his view, must not allow personal affection or animosity to distort the truth. This
commitment to impartiality is among the most remarkable features of the
Rājataraṅgiṇī. Kalhaṇa did not hesitate to expose the failings of kings, condemn
the corruption of ministers or describe the suffering inflicted upon ordinary
people by those in power. He recognised that historical greatness must be
measured not merely by conquest and wealth, but also by justice, character and
the responsibilities of kingship.
Kalhaṇa
was not merely a historian; he was also a poet of the highest order. The
Rājataraṅgiṇī is composed in the Mahākāvya tradition, employing elaborate
descriptions, similes, metaphors, dramatic contrasts and profound emotional
expression. His poetic imagination is evident in his descriptions of Kashmir's
landscapes, royal processions, religious ceremonies, military expeditions,
human suffering and the tragic consequences of political ambition. He makes
history come alive through individual characters and memorable incidents. His
command of Rasa, the Indian aesthetic theory of emotional experience, is
particularly impressive. Śṛṅgāra (love), Vīra (heroism), Karuṇa (pathos),
Raudra (fury), Bhayānaka (terror), Bībhatsa (revulsion), Adbhuta (wonder) and
Śānta (tranquillity) all find expression in his narrative. His poetry
frequently moves from the grandeur of royal achievement to the fragility of
human existence. Kalhaṇa wrote to instruct and delight, but also to free the
mind from passion and prejudice. Drawing upon the great narrative tradition of
India, associated with the Bṛhatkathā, he transformed historical events into
compelling literature. He made history live and raised storytelling to the
level of historical art.
That
is why the Rājataraṅgiṇī continues to be read and admired after nearly nine
centuries. It moves the heart even as it instructs the mind.
The
Rājataraṅgiṇī places Kashmir in a position of distinction as a land with a
recorded historical tradition extending from antiquity to the twelfth century.
Few regions in the world can claim such an enduring indigenous historical
record. It presents Kashmir as a great centre of Sanskrit and Indic learning,
while also illuminating its historical and cultural connections with Gandhara. Kalhaṇa
describes a land in which Sanskrit was the language of administration, poetry,
law and philosophy. Its courts patronised learning; its temples and mathas
sustained religious and intellectual life; and its scholars and poets
contributed to the development of literature, aesthetics and philosophy.
Kashmir
was connected with the intellectual centres of Kanauj and Bengal and stood at
an important meeting point between the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. It
maintained close historical connections with Gandhara to the west. These were
relationships shaped by art, Buddhism, trade, marriage, warfare and
scholarship.
The
Rājataraṅgiṇī thus challenges interpretations that treat Kashmir as a borrowed
civilisation, a mere frontier outpost or a province of an exclusively foreign
cultural world. It presents Kashmir as a centre in its own right, rooted in
Indic civilisation, nourished by Sanskrit learning and enriched by its
interactions with Gandhara and other regions.
Its
references to Varanasi, Gaya, Prayaga, Kanauj, Malwa, Bengal, the Deccan and
other parts of the subcontinent demonstrate the extensive political, religious,
commercial and cultural connections that existed during the period. Kashmir was
never an isolated valley. It participated in the larger currents of Indian
intellectual, political and religious life.
The Mahābhārata, Buddhism and Kashmir's Sacred Traditions
The
Rājataraṅgiṇī also places Kashmir within the cultural world of the Mahābhārata,
reflecting a shared epic imagination and the larger traditions of Dharma,
sacred geography and Indian wisdom. It was a land of literature, poetics,
aesthetics, music and sacred texts, a university, a temple and a capital in one.
It
refers to Śrī Krishna's visit to Kashmir for the coronation of Queen Yashovati
and to Kashmir's participation in the Mahābhārata war. It also records the
strong association of the Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna with Kashmir. These
traditions are significant in understanding how Kashmir's historical memory
situated the valley within the wider religious and epic imagination of India. The
text also refers to the Jauhar performed by Sahi queens within Vijayeśvara, as
well as to the Nṛtyamaṇḍapas in certain temples, where music and dance were
performed as sacred offerings to the deity.
Its
descriptions extend well beyond royal and religious affairs. Kalhaṇa informs us
about the festivals, food habits, dress, temples and viharas of Kashmir. He
records what people ate and wore, how they worshipped and celebrated, and how
they constructed their religious and civic institutions. Rajatarangini describes
a landscape in which Śaiva temples and Buddhist Viharas existed side by side,
and in which the worship of Śiva, Viṣṇu and the Buddha formed part of the
religious life of the region.
One
of Kalhaṇa's greatest achievements is his portrayal of Kashmir's rulers as
complex human beings rather than idealised figures. He records their virtues
and accomplishments, but also their weaknesses, excesses and failures. Among
the important personalities whose lives and reigns he describes are Suyya the
engineer, King Avantivarman, Śaṅkaravarman, Harsha, Queen Didda and numerous
rulers of the Utpala and Karkota dynasties.
Suyya
stands out as an exceptional engineer who regulated the waters of the Vitasta,
transforming the agricultural landscape and helping to make the valley more
fertile. His achievements demonstrate the importance of engineering and water
management in Kashmir's economic history. King Avantivarman restored order
after a period of anarchy and undertook significant public works, including the
development of towns and temples. His reign represents an important phase of
administrative and economic reconstruction. Śaṅkaravarman extended the kingdom
and strengthened its political and military power. Harsha emerges as a ruler of
learning and ambition, but also one whose eccentricities and pride formed part
of his character. Queen Didda stands out for her courage, political acumen and
statecraft. She held Kashmir together during a period of factional struggles
and demonstrated the formidable capacity of a woman ruler to exercise power.
Among
the great rulers of Kashmir, Lalitāditya Muktāpīḍa occupies a particularly
distinguished place in the Rājataraṅgiṇī. Ruling in the eighth century,
Lalitāditya is remembered for his military campaigns, extensive political
ambitions, architectural patronage and the remarkable influence he exercised
beyond the boundaries of Kashmir.
Kalhaṇa
associates him with the construction of the magnificent Sun Temple at Martand,
as well as with the establishment of towns and canals and the patronage of
poets and scholars. His reign is presented as a period in which Kashmir emerged
as a formidable political power. He defeated Yashovarman of Kanauj and
undertook military campaigns towards the east, south and north. The fame of his
kingdom, according to Kalhaṇa's account, extended as far as China. Lalitāditya
is one of Kalhaṇa's greatest gifts to Kashmir and, through Kashmir, to India
and the wider world.
It
is largely through Kalhaṇa's immortal Rājataraṅgiṇī that the world has come to
appreciate the grandeur of ancient Kashmir's temples, sacred shrines, pilgrimage
centres and royal cities. The monuments and sacred sites associated with
Kashmir's extraordinary architectural, spiritual and intellectual heritage
include:
Śāradā Pīṭha.
These and countless other sacred sites stand as testimony to Kashmir's extraordinary architectural and religious traditions. They represent a period of remarkable artistic accomplishment, intellectual vitality and spiritual expression. Kalhaṇa's chronicle has preserved the memory of their former splendour and historical significance. Tragically, many of these magnificent monuments now lie in ruins, having suffered destruction and desecration during episodes of religious iconoclasm under certain later Sultans and other rulers.
The Moral Vision of the Rājataraṅgiṇī
Beyond
its historical and literary achievements, the Rājataraṅgiṇī offers a profound
moral understanding of political power and human conduct. Kalhaṇa records how
kings rise through virtue and fall through vice; how ministers betray their
masters; how ambition corrupts institutions; and how ordinary people suffer the
consequences of famine, war and misgovernment. His underlying message is
unmistakable: power without Dharma destroys itself; wealth without learning
becomes vulgar; and conquest without justice is little more than crime.
The
chronicle is therefore not merely a record of dynastic succession or military
achievement. It is a moral history of Kashmir, offering lessons that remain
relevant to statesmen and societies even today.
A
land with such a text cannot be described as a land without history. A people
with such an enduring record cannot be described as a people without a past.
The Continuity of Kashmir's Historical Tradition
One
of the most remarkable features of the Rājataraṅgiṇī is that Kalhaṇa's work did
not remain an isolated literary achievement. It inspired a continuous tradition
of historical writing in Kashmir.
The Kashmiri Pandit Scholars Who
Preserved Kalhaṇa's Legacy
The
UNESCO recognition is also a tribute to the generations of Kashmiri Pandits who
preserved, copied, studied, explained, edited and translated the Rājataraṅgiṇī,
making it accessible to the wider world. The story of its modern recovery
begins with the Codex Archetypus, the most authentic Śāradā manuscript of the
Rājataraṅgiṇī. It had been preserved for nine generations by a Kashmiri Pandit
family and was located by Georg Bühler in 1875 in the possession of Pandit
Kesavram. In 1889, Kesavram's three sons, Pandit Balakram, Pandit Madhavram and
Pandit Kavalaram, made their three inherited portions available to Marc Aurel
Stein. These manuscripts became the foundation of Stein's critical Sanskrit
edition, published in 1892, and his English translation, published in 1900. This
was a landmark in the modern study of Kalhaṇa. Yet the achievement would not
have been possible without the knowledge, guidance and scholarly assistance of
numerous Kashmiri Pandits.
Pandit
Govind Kaul, who worked with Stein from 1888 to 1899, contributed indispensable
erudition to the translation and editing of the text. His command of Sanskrit
and his knowledge of Kashmir's historical and cultural traditions were
essential to the undertaking. Pandit Sahaz Bhatt also worked with Govind Kaul
on the Hindi translation.
Pandit
Sahib Ram Kaul made another outstanding contribution. He procured manuscripts,
undertook a critical study of the Nīlamata Purāṇa, an important source for
understanding Kalhaṇa's work, and compiled the sacred geography of Kashmir from
references in the Rājataraṅgiṇī. His research was invaluable in interpreting
the historical and geographical references in the chronicle. His son, Pandit
Damodar Kaul, continued the chronicle tradition and provided guidance to Stein
in his work. Mahāmahopādhyāya Pandit Mukund Ram Shastri offered valuable
guidance and assistance in translating the text. Professor Nityanand Shastri,
whom Stein described as the crest jewel of Kashmiri scholars, rendered important
scholarly assistance. Rajanaka
Ratnakantha's manuscript, containing glosses and corrections, became the
foundation of the modern edition.
Another
major contribution came from Ranjit Sitaram Pandit, who published a complete
English translation of the Rājataraṅgiṇī in 1935, making Kalhaṇa's work
accessible to a wider readership.
Recognition
must also be given to Maharaja Pratap Singh, who sanctioned grants and provided
support for the scholarly work undertaken to recover, edit and publish the
Rājataraṅgiṇī. An important role was played by Pandit Suraj Kaul, Finance
Member of Maharaja Pratap Singh's Royal Council. At the insistence of his son,
Hari Kishen Kaul, a student of Stein at Lahore, Suraj Kaul mediated with the
three sons of Pandit Kesavram to persuade them to make their inherited portions
of the manuscript available for the critical edition. This became a landmark in
the recovery and publication of one of India's oldest and most important
historical records. The contribution of the Persian translators must also be
acknowledged. The Rājataraṅgiṇī was
translated into Persian on three important occasions: Mulla Ahmad undertook the
translation under the patronage of Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin. Shah Muhammad
Shahabadi translated it during the reign of Emperor Akbar. Haidar Malik produced
a Persian version during the reign of Emperor Jahangir.
The
Rājataraṅgiṇī is far more than a chronicle of Kashmir's kings; it is the intellectual
testament of a civilisation conscious of its past. Through its historical
vision, Kalhaṇa preserved the political fortunes, geographical imagination,
scholarly achievements, cultural splendour and collective memory of Kashmir.
His work transcended royal genealogy to become a remarkable exercise in
historical inquiry, reflecting upon the impermanence of power and the
continuity of civilisation. The UNESCO recognition of the Srinagar manuscript
honours not merely an ancient text, but Kashmir's enduring contribution to
humanity's intellectual heritage.
( Avtar Mota )
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.
