Reading Kalhana’s Rajatarangini (The Waves of the Rulers) – Ranjit Sitaram Pandit’s Translation
I fulfilled a childhood dream of reading Kalhana’s Rajatarangini recently.
I bought a translated work: Kalhana’s Rajatarangini by Ranjit Sitaram Pandit on Amazon. There is also found a free version on Internet Archives (archive.org).
Following are some interesting things I found. Keep in mind, I am not a scholar and am relying completely on the book itself. I am sure there are some translation issues and/or the author’s own biases / point-of-view creeping in. Till I get my hand of the original Sanskrit work (do you have access to one?), I will go by what I read here, as-is.
The first thing I learned was that book is broken into 8 Tarangs (waves). The early Tarangs (from 1st till 6th) are covered in only 260 pages (in the translated work) but the 7th and 8th take 429 pages. Each Tarang starts with a prayer to Parvati, Shiva or Ganesha.
One thing to note is that he used the works Kashmir and Srinagara from the very beginning. So it was an interesting journey to find names of places that I could map to a name used nowadays.
Let us start with Shiva too.
AmarnathAmarnath has been a place of pilgrimage and a place for devotion since the beginning of Kashmir’s history.
The author tells the story of King Kinnara (Nara�� I) who he says was a good person but flipped due to a life experience the poet elaborates. Filled with desire for the married daughter of a Naga, he tried to forcefully win her. Enraged, the Naga destroys the king and destroys the city. Repentant, he then abandons his home and travels to Amarnath and builds a late there.
In Tarang 1, during the reign of Nara 1 (994 BCE)
Five Yojanas of rural land was thus kid waste and known as Rama-
nyatavr, it is even to this day full of heavy boulders and holes. 265
After doing this hideous slaughter of humanity, next morning
the Naga was full of remorse and being depressed by the denunciation
of the people, he abandoned that locality and departed. 266
Gleaming like the ocean of milk a lake was constructed by him on a
distant mountain, which on their way to the pilgrimage of Amara-
natha, is visited by the people to this very day. 267
Through the favour of his father-in-law the Brahman had attained
the status of a Naga; one other called the ���lake of the son-in-law*
in the locality has also become celebrated. 268
In the footnotes for 1.268, the translator provides more context on the ‘lake of son-in-law’
Darbar Move268. On the route of the pilgrimage to
Amaranatha on the mountain top there
is a lake which, according to legend,
is the lake of Susravas ��� it is also now
called Sesanag. The colour of the
water is white. There is also another
lake popularly called Zamatur Nag ���
the ‘Jamatr Saras’ of Kalhana��� which
means the ���lake of the son-in-law���.
Siva in the cave at Amaranatha is in the
form of congealed ice. The pilgrimage
referred to by Kalhana is still very
popular and attracts the devout from
distant parts of India.
The concept of Darbar Move in modern times is something that is so J&K! In winter, the government secretariat moves to Jammu. In summer, the government secretariat moves to Jammu. This is called Darbar Move.
I used to hear that is an old practice followed since the days of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. But turn out it is even older a practice. It was mentioned in Tarang 1, during the rule of Abhimanyu I (who reigned before Gonando III whose reign started in 1184 BCE).
As heavy snow-falls occurred for the harassment of the Buddhists
year after year, the king, during winter, resided for six months in
Darvabhisara and other places. 180
A reason for this is found in footnotes for 1.27
Hunger StrikesAccording to modem geologists the valley of Kasmir was no doubt a vast lake in the remote past and that the climate of this Himalayan region must have been intensely cold. The legend of the Jalodbhava probably refers to icebergs. According to the old Ka&nlri traditions the land was at one time too cold for human habitation during winter when it was in the grip of the Pisacas, the ���Powers of Darkness.��� The kings during this time used to leave the country and resume their rule when the Pisacas had left.
The number of times hunger strikes are mentioned was a big surprise. Seem like it was common for citizens to go on hunger strikes. Hunger strikes were taken very seriously by the rules. These hunger strikes were done by men, women, priests, army and wait for it, even the king! In fact, there was a Minster for Hunger Strikes!
In Tarang 4, during the reign of Candrapida (682 BCE)
On one occasion, to the king who was seated in the assembly a
certain Brahman woman, who had sat down in hunger-strike, spoke
when questioned by the law-officers. 82
In Tarang 7, during the reign of Harsa (little after 1095 CE)
As the king was not prepared to consider a withdrawal, the troops
were secretly incited by him to demand large travelling allowances. 1156
When they, who were mostly from the ranks, had started a hunger-
strike with ironical speeches, the camp of the king, whose treasury
was at a distance, was thrown into commotion. 1157
In Tarang 8, during the reign of Sussala (little after 1120 CE)
Karnataka
While the Damara hordes were planning to retreat, owing to
dissensions in their league just at this time, the king���s affairs were
reduced to a tangled skein by his own soldiers. 807
They, having blocked the entrances in front of the royal palace with
drawn swords, held hunger-strikes at every step clamouring for the
allowance for the campaign which had accrued due. 808
Imagine my surprise when I start seeing my adopted homeland’s name pop up more than once. It was a revelation on how much Kashmir and Karnataka were bound by people exchange.
In Tarang 4, during the reign of Lalitaditya (little after 695 CE)
The people of Karnata, who wear the hair with a top -knot, as
they bent down in homage dropping the golden Ketaki leaf, bore
his glory as their ornament on the head. 151
Though I wonder who the Rani Ratta was! Footnotes suggest she was a queen of Rastrakuta dynasty.
At this epoch a lady of Karnata known as Ratta, who had lovely
eyes and whose glory was wide spread, protected as the sovereign
ruler the region of the south. 152
The passes of Mount Vindhya were guarded after killing those,
who were thorns in her side, by this queen whose power, like that
of Durga, was without limit. 153
There is an interesting reference to coconut wine!
His legionaries got rid of fatigue, in the breeze on the banks of
the Kaveri river, sipping the cocoanut wine at the foot of the palm-
trees. 155
Though I wonder why 7 when mentioning Konkan
While he overran the seven Konkanas darkened by the areca-nut
trees and glowed like the hot-rayed sun driving the seven horses,
his military prestige spread wide. 159
In Tarang 7, during the reign of Harsa (little after 1095 CE)
During the reign of king Kalasa, Bilhana who had gone away from
Kasmir and whom king Paramandi of Karnata had made a Vidyapati
and whose parasol was the only one which was seen by the elephants
in the Karnatic army when the king was on the march, after hearing
of the liberality of Harsadeva, the friend of good poets, reckoned
even such prosperity to be deceptive. 935-38
Then there is a reference to the Pampa Sarovar of Hampi.
Replete with water extending to the horizon and resorted to by
various kinds of birds and deer, was the lake named Pampa which
was constructed by him. 940
When the queen of Karnataka won the heart of King of Kashmir
On BureaucracyOn seeing the beautiful wife of Parmandi, the ruler of Karnata,
painted in a portrait he was wounded by Love whose arrows are
flowers. 1119
Kalhana did not think highly of the bureaucrats of his time. And seems this mistrust was even older.
In Tarang 8, during the reign of Uccala (little after 1101 CE)
���Indeed the officials ire ready to kill, given to corruption, seizure
of the property of others and worse than demons, one should protect
these subjects from them��� ��� thus reciting the verse and believing
ever this counsel of prudence of traditional lore, he rooted out
officials. 86-87
He, however, takes it to the next level
For, indeed, the officials like cholera, the colic and wagering stakes,
smite the world swiftly and are another epidemic for the subjects. 88
The crab kills its father, the white ant destroys its mother but the
ungrateful functionary, when he has obtained office, destroys every-
body. 89
If an enlightened man trains and helps an official to rise to power,
the villain like a Vetala would destroy him without scruple. 90
The bureaucrat and the poison-tree, it is amazing! render the very
ground, on which they prosper, difficult of access. 91
In Tarang 8, during the reign of Salhana (1111 CE)
Satisar and BaramullaThe shameless Tantrins, cavaliers and councillors who had deserted
the defeated conspirators again formed a combination having made
common cause and brought in Salhana. When Garga saw this and
not finding any one worthy of the throne, he had the eldest imme-
diately consecrated king. 375-376
Early in the Tarang 1, Kalhana talks about the geographic origin of Kashmir.
Once upon a time there was the lake of Sati; and from the beginning
of the Kalpas the land in the womb of the Himalayas was filled with
waters during the intervening period of six Manus. 25
In the footnotes, the translator elaborates by quoting someone named Bernier. This Bramulla angle was new to me, to be honest.
Great Srinagar FireThe histories
of the ancient kings of kachemire
maintain that the whole of this country
was in former times one vast lake and
that an outlet for the waters was opened
fay a certain pire, aged saint, Kacheb
(Persian for KaSyapa) who miracul-
ously cut the mountain of Baramoule..
..I am certainly not disposed to deny
that this region was once covered
with water: the same thing is reported
of Thessaly and of other countries;
but I cannot easily pursuade myself
It seems during an attack by Damaras, the whole city of Srinagar burnt. Was the magnitude of the fire a direct result of their actions or did the weather fan the fire, is not clear. The recounting of damages also indicates the massive size of the city. I was not aware of this incidence.
In Tarang 8, during the reign of Sussala (1121-28 CE)
Thus it happened that during a fierce battle which was raging
on the bright twelfth day of Jyestha, the Damaras set a dwelling house
in Kasthila on fire. 1169
Or perchance that fire originated in the high winds or was due to
lightning��� it spread beyond control and all at once set the entire
city ablaze. 1170
While the smoke emanating from Maksikasvamin, like charging
elephants in battle array, had just become visible from the Great
Bridge, it suddenly thereafter reached Indradevl-bhavana Vihara and
then instantaneously the entire city was seen in flames. 1 171-1 1 72
The descriptions of fire reflect the complete destruction of the city.
The houses in the darkness of the smoke-screen lit up by the flames
came into view for a while as if to bid a final farewell. 1174
The Vitasta, with the houses nestling on both banks ablaze, looked
like the blade of the sword of Death, wet with blood on both
edges. 1175
The bathing huts along the banks of Vitasta / Jehlum get mentioned elsewhere in the book too.
The bathing huts and the boat bridges, in large numbers, having
been drawn off from fear of the fire, the waterways in the interior of
the city also became deserted. 1182
What more need be said? Srlnagara bereft of its Mathas, shrines,
houses, shops and the like was turned, in a mere trice, into a forest
which has been burnt down. 1183
Most of the dead ended up in the river! And another reference to bridges as a common part of the landscape.
The bridges over the waterways, which were stinking with dead
bodies swollen by soaking in water, were traversed in those days by
the people holding their noses. 1210
This fire was followed by a great famine.
The fire having burnt down the collected stores of all food-stuffs,
of a sudden, a dire famine which became difficult to endure now
prevailed throughout the land. 1206
There was a lot of wanton violence too.
The houses which had survived the conflagration, the people
suffering from starvation, who were demanding food, set on fire
from day to day. 1209
The condition of citizens was exceptionally bad.
Bad Start for the Kings of Kashmir & Battle in MathuraTortured by hunger and scarcely able to move, the people with
their tall bodies, tanned by the rays of the fierce sun, resembled the
charred pillars. 1212
While Kalhana mentions that there were 52 kings before Gonanda I, it is with him he starts telling the story of Rulers of Kashmir.
The first named king of Kashmir, Gonanda I was related to Jarasandha. This is how his story goes:
In Tarang 1
The aid of this king having “been sought by Jarasandha he laid
siege to Mathura, the city of the enemy of Kamsa, with large forces. 59
When he pitched his camp on the banks of the Yamuna, he caused the
fame of the warriors together with the jewels of the Yadava
ladies to fade. 60
Gonanda I got into a fight with Balaram (who it seems had plough on his flag)
On one occasion, to save his army which was broken up on all
sides, he who had the plough as the emblem on his banner encountered
him fighting in battle. 61
They were almost equal in their battle prowess. It seems it would be a draw!
During the combat of the two warriors of equal prowess having
remained too long in the hand of the goddess of victory owing to the
uncertainty of the issue, one might well ask if the triumphal garland
had withered away ! 62
But eventually, the first named king of Kashmir lost to Krishna’s brother in a battle at Mathura.
Comparision to HeavenEventually, with his limbs wounded by weapons in the battlefield,
the king of Kasmir embraced the earth while the Yadava king embraced
the goddess of victory. 63
The comparison to heaven is as old as the valley itself!
In Tarang 1
Yak-TailSuch is Kasmir, the country which may be conquered by the force
of spiritual merit but not by armed force ; where the inhabitants
in consequence fear more the next world; where there are hot baths
in winter, comfortable landing places on the river-banks, where the
rivers being free from aquatic animals are without peril; where, reali-
zing that the land created by his father is unable to bear heat, the hot-
rayed sun honours it by bearing himself with softness even in summer.
Learning, high dwelling houses, saffron, iced, water, grapes and the
like ��� what is a commonplace paradise.
All in J&K know Yak! Living in Ladhak, it is wooly, gentle-looking and domesticated. Throughout the book there are many references to yak Tail being used as a fan for royalty. I am assuming it was a fan-made from yak’s tail hair and so the name. Maybe the fan that was made from yak’s hair looked like its tail!
In Tarang 1, during the reign of Gonanda II (not dated by Kalhana/transalator)
Placing him, whose side-locks were wavy with the fanning of the
royal yak-tail, on tire throne, the ministers hearkened to the law-suits
of the subjects. 81
There is a story where a king falls in love with the daughters of a folk singer. He married one of them and Kalhana describes her being fanned by yak-tail as ultimate marker of her ascending to royalty.
In Tarang 5, during the reign of Cakravarman (924 CE)
Rainbow of JaatisBy the king who was blind with passion, Hams! was made the
premier queen, who enjoyed the privilege among the royal ladies of
being fanned with the yak-tail, 387
Kalhana seems to have thought of the usage of Rainbow to highlight the beauty of diversity!
In Tarang 2, during the reign of Tunjina (105 CE)
These two nobly sustained the delightful land with its various
castes, like the lightning and the water-bearing cloud the bow of
Indra. 13
The author provides an interesting usage of the word varna (caste is a term used by the interpreter)
In Tarang 2, from the footnotes for 2.13
Using Price of Rice as Indicator of General Prosperity13. There is a pun on the word Varna
which means both (1) caste and (2)
colour, the latter meaning applies to the
rainbow.
OK, there is nothing more Kashmiri than using Rice as central to anything about Kashmir! Kalhana shares the price of Rice across time to indicate which kingdom was flourishing and which one was not.
But first, some definitions:
DinnaraThroughout the time of Rajatanrangini, the currency of Kashmir was Dinnara.
KhariThroughout the time of Rajatanrangini and as per Kalhana, Khari was the measure of quantity for rice inside of Kashmir and elsewhere in India. Wisdomlib and Ayurtimes.com both put 1 Khari equal to 196.608 kg (~200 Kg).
Price of Rice Across TimePeriodRulerRice PriceComment751 CE – 857 CEAfter Jayapida till Avantivarma1050 Dinnaras per KhariIt seems this was due to constant flooding due to lack of maintenance of dams built by Lalitaditya.In Tarang 5
857 CE onwardsAvantivarma200 Dinnaras per KhariSeems like lots of work of restoration was done by him857 CE onwardsAvantivarma36 Dinnaras per KhariIn Tarang 5
Through the great effort of king Lalitaditya, when the waters were
drained to a certain, it had become slightly productive thereafter. 69
In course of time after the passing of Jayapida. when there were
kings of very little virility, the land was once more covered with
the surging waters. 70
Ten hundred and fifty Dinnaras had become the sale price of a Khari
of rice in husk in the famine-stricken land. 71
1099 CEHarsa500 Dinnaras per KhariIn Tarang 7The reclamation of the land from water, the bestowal of it to pious
Brahmans, the building of barrages with stones in water, and the
suppression of Kaliya, which were achieved by Visnu in four incarna-
tions of righteons acts were achieved by Suyya, who had a mass of
religious merit, in a single birth only. 114-115
ShivratriA Khari of rice was available for five hundred Dinnaras; for one
Dnnara could be obtained two Palas of grape-wine. 1220
In Tarang 8, during the reign of Uccala (1101 CE)
During festivals, such as the Sivaratri, he showered largesses on
the mass of the people just as the mighty Indra floods the earth by
torrents of water at the conjunction of the planets. 70
Shivaratri finds another mention during the times of King Uccala.
RiversJehlum / VistastaWhen during the pageant of Sivaratri, the erudite Sivaratha recited
this verse, the king was determined to make him the chief superin-
tendent. 111
The name used for Jehlum is Vitasta and gets mentioned a lot.
In Tarang 1
Names with -hana SuffixIt is the territory which is under the protection of Nila, supreme
lord of all the Nagas, whose parasol is the swelling Nila Kunda with
the flowing waters of the Vitasta for its staff. 28
I thought Kalhana was a unique and rare name. But as per the book, it was not so. Other names with -hana siffix are:
BilhanaGulhanaRilhanaSalhanaSilhanaUlhanaOther HistoriansEarly in the book he mentions and notes the work of historians before him. Though he seems to be bit critical of them.
Tarang 1
Blowing His Own Trumpet
The voluminous works in fragments containing the early history
of the kings were epitomized in Suvrata��� s composition so that they
may be remembered. 11
The style of Suvrata being irksome, owing to the fault of pedantry,
his composition, although it has acquired celebrity, is lacking in the
apt of the exposition of the theme. 12
While owing to an incomprehensible lack of care in the work of
Ksemendra, known as the List of Kings, even a portion is not free
from error, although it is the composition of a poet. 13
The story of Kings starts with Gonanda I. It seems the historians were aware of 52 kings who preceded him. But the names and stories of those kinds is lost, and Kalhana has an opinion on why it is so!
In Kasmir, the contemporaries of the Kauravas and the Pandavas ���
in the Kali era ��� up to Gonanda, fifty-two kings have passed into
oblivion. 44
In that age, owing to the former misdeeds of those kings, surely no
creative poets existed who could have embodied them in glory. 45
This is an interesting thought. A king needs to do good to deserve creative poets to sing of their glory.
Things I Learned from the Footnotes and Other Sections Written by the TranslatorLaukika Era
I learned about Laukika Era (L. E.) from the footnotes for 1.50-52
Persian Well or Kashmiri Well?50-52. The Saka era begins 78 years
after the Christian era. K. commenced
his work in the Saka year 1070 which,
according to him, corresponded with
the year 4224 of the Laukika or Kas-
mirq era which is still current in Kasmir
and the neighbouring hills.
Kalhana used the reference to a rope in a well and ends up describing what is often called a Persian Well. The translator calls the name Persian Well a modern misnomer.
In Tarang 1, during the reign of Siddha (955 CE), from the footnotes for 1.384
Gautam Buddha’s Mother Wore a Dejhoor!384. Yantra ���apparatus or machine. The to in ancient Samskjrta literature and
reference is to the Araghafta or the well its name as the ���Persian wheel is a
with the wheel and pots to raise water modern misnomer.
The translator mentions that there is a statue of the mother of Gautam Buddha wearing a Dejhoor. Dejhoor is an ornament worn by Kashmiri Hindu brides, from the day before they are wed in holy matrimony (Dejhoor on Wikipedia).
In Tarang 1, from the footnotes for 1.301
…
It is interesting to note that the
girdle (Tagr) is still worn among
Kafinlrl Brahman women. For the
picture of ear-ornament peculiar to
married women among Kasmiri Brah-
mans see the illustration of sculpture
discovered in Pandrethan (Puranadhis-
thana), believed to be Asoka���s capital,
which shows the mother of Buddha
wearing the ���Dijahr.’
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