Kalhaṇa as a Historian: Historical Method in the Rājataraṅgiṇī

Altaf Hussain Para

Kalhaṇa as a Historian: Historical Method in the Rājataraṅgiṇī

Author(s)	Altaf Hussain Para
Country	India
Abstract	The Rājataraṅgiṇī of Kalhaṇa occupies a distinctive position in the historiographical tradition of premodern India. Composed in Sanskrit around 1148–1150 CE, it presents a continuous narrative of the rulers of Kashmir from legendary antiquity to the author's own lifetime. Unlike many courtly chronicles that primarily celebrated royal achievements, Kalhaṇa sought to construct a historical narrative through the critical examination of earlier chronicles, inscriptions, genealogies, royal grants, coins, temple records, and local traditions. Although the work incorporates mythical accounts, moral reflections, and literary conventions characteristic of Sanskrit mahākāvya, it also reveals a conscious concern for chronology, causation, geographical precision, and the evaluation of conflicting evidence. This paper examines Kalhaṇa's historical method by analysing his conception of history, his use of sources, his treatment of chronology, and his understanding of historical causation. It argues that the Rājataraṅgiṇī should neither be regarded as a modern work of scientific history nor dismissed merely as literary poetry. Instead, it represents a sophisticated example of historical writing within the intellectual and literary conventions of twelfth-century Kashmir. By situating Kalhaṇa within the broader context of Indian historiography, the study demonstrates how his work combined literary expression with critical historical inquiry and established a model that influenced subsequent Sanskrit and Persian historical traditions in Kashmir.
Keywords	Kalhaṇa, Rājataraṅgiṇī, Kashmir, Historiography, Historical Method, Sanskrit Literature, Medieval India, Historical Sources
Published In	Volume 6, Issue 2, February 2025
Published On	2025-02-07

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Kalhaṇa as a Historian: Historical Method in the Rājataraṅgiṇī

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