Kaviraj Chand Bardai was a court poet of Maharana Prithviraj and his composition "Prithviraj Raso" is an historical epic and an authentic source of India's medieval history. But the British termed it as spurious and fake. Dr. Buhler was instrumental in having the British regime put a ban on Raso's publication. Regrettably some Indian scholars were also taken in by the British slander against the Raso. Kaviraj Syamaldas of Udaipur wrote an article supporting the British thesis
1, 2. But Raso is an authentic history and this can be established from data available in inscriptions.
Chand BardaiChand Bardai's Prithviraj Raso is Authentic History
Murlidhar H. Pahoja, Ph.D.
Kaviraj Chand Bardai was a court poet of Maharana Prithviraj and his composition "Prithviraj Raso" is an historical epic and an authentic source of India's medieval history. But the British termed it as spurious and fake. Dr. Buhler was instrumental in having the British regime put a ban on Raso's publication. Regrettably some Indian scholars were also taken in by the British slander against the Raso. Kaviraj Syamaldas of Udaipur wrote an article supporting the British thesis 1, 2. But Raso is an authentic history and this can be established from data available in inscriptions.
Dr. Buhler's thesis as also the criticism by Kaviraj Syamaldas, are mainly in relation to the interpretation of certain facts mentioned in the Raso. Their main arguments are as follows:
•1. The Raso states that Prithviraj Chauhan's sister Prithabai was married to Raval Samar Singh of Chittaurgarh. Chronologically this is an impossibility as Prithviraj Chauhan (c.1200 AD) and Raval Samar Singh (c.1300 AD) are placed a century apart.
•2. The Raso states that Prithviraj Chauhan defeated and killed Solanki Bhola Bhim of Gujarat in a battle. Solanki Bhim was living even after the death of Prithviraj as is proved by Solanki Bhim's copper plate grant of Samvat 1256 (1199 AD).
•3. The dates given in the Raso do not correspond with the known dates and uniformly precede the known dates by 90 years. The dates given in Raso are therefore, in error and are not reliable.