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History is re-written in every age but historians have to guard not only
against the prejudices of the past but also of the future otherwise their work would
be untranslatable in troubled times. This paper has grown out of an interest
in Kalhana's Rajataranginiwhich has not received adequate attention in
Indian historiography. Kalhana is one of the foremost historians of early Kashmir
and one of the most original scholars in this field. His method, however, does
not only fit the familiar moulds of social, economic, political and cultural
history but his writing also corresponds to our history of ideas and over laps with
what has recently become known as the history of mentalities. This paper is
not concerned with the details of looting of Kashmir by Damaras or with the
abilities of Kings such as Lalitaditya as illustrated by Kalhana. But it indicates
how necessary interpreting the
Rajataranginiis as a source text as the evidence of
a personal stand point, which has acquired a lasting significance from
the individuality of the author, uniqueness of the historical situation and
specificity of region and time. The principle subject is not the historical reality of
events and state of affairs recorded by
Rajatarangini; what appeals the reality of
the mental activity manifested in this chronicle which also shows how
Kalhana's account of complex social economic and political processes and patterns
in Kashmir interacted with the wider world.
Aptly encapsulating the content of the Rajatarangini, the above quote accurately summarizes the multiple strands in Kalhana's historical work and also points out that
there can be no finality in the reading of the
Rajatarangini
as a unitary narrative since there are many layers of opinions, influences and perceptions encoded within this text that can
be meaningfully understood only when we understand Kalhana's mind and read his work
in its larger context.
To develop a clear and critical understanding of Kalhana and his work would
certainly require the writing of a voluminous tract. This paper is a humble attempt to
interpret Kalhana in a wider context that is invariably linked to the historical process in Kashmir
and by extension Central Asia and other neighboring regions.
In Kashmir the tradition of history writing goes back to early
times. There were a number of scholars and priests who wrote
Prasastis or inscriptions, biographical works,
Kavyas, Mahatimayas, Puranas, Charitas
such as Harshacharita by Banabhatta and
Vikramankadevacharita by Bilhana(sasnas), ordinances (sastra), written
recordsand other narratives about Kashmir before and during the period of Kalhana but none of them
can match Kalhana's historical vision and historiographical power in understanding
and interpreting events. Kalhana's range is extraordinary in terms of subject matter and
the treatment is also varied; this reveals an attempt to look at the phenomena according to
their internal logic, though he is critical of many
actors. |
