Kalhana

Kalhana (sometimes spelled Kalhan or Kalhan'a) (c. 12th century), a Kashmiri, was the author of Rajatarangini (River of Kings), an account of the history of Kashmir. He wrote the work in Sanskrit between 1148 and 1149.

Quotes

• That noble-minded poet alone merits praise whose word, like the sentence of a judge, keeps free from love or hatred in recording the past.
  • Quoted from Will Durant, Our Oriental Heritage

• ‘‘Trilochanapala causing floods of blood to pour in batttle resembled Shiva (frilochana) when sending forth the fire which burns the world at the end of the Kealpa. After fighting crores of armour-clad soldiers in the battle, this (prince), who was experienced in affairs, came forth singly from among the foes pressing (around him). When Trilochana (pala) had gone afar, the whole country was overshadowed by hosts of fierce chandalas, which (resembled clouds of) locusts.’’
  • Kalhana’s Rajatarangini, edited by Stein. quoted from [1]

Quotes about Kalhana

• Only one Hindu writer seems to have grasped the function of the historian. Kalhana, author of the Rajatarangini, or "Stream of Kings," expressed himself as follows: "That noble-minded poet alone merits praise whose word, like the sentence of a judge, keeps free from love or hatred in recording the past." Winternitz calls him "the only great historian that India has produced."
  • Will Durant, Our Oriental Heritage

• Professor D.P.Singhal asserts that, contrary to the general belief, Indians in ancient times did not neglect the important discipline of historiography. On the contrary, they were good writers of history. He states:
  “Ancient India did not produce a Thucydides, but there is considerable evidence to suggest that every important Hindu court maintained archives and geneologies of its rulers. And Kalhana’s Rajatarangini, written in twelfth century Kashmir, is a remarkable piece of historical literature. Despite his lapses into myths and legends, Kalhana had an unbiased approach to historical facts and history writing. He held that a true historian, while recounting the events of the past, must discard love (raga) and hatred (dvesha). Indeed, his well-developed concept of history and the technique of historical investigation have given rise to some speculation that there existed at the time a powerful tradition of historiography in which Kalhana must have received his training.”
  • Singhal, D.P. ‘Battle for the Past’ in Problems of Indian Historiography, Proceedings of the Indian History and Culture Society, Ed. Devahuti, D.K. Publishers, Delhi 1979. quoted from Lal, K. S. (1992). The legacy of Muslim rule in India. New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan. Chapter 3