Dasharatha Sharma (1903–1976) was an

Indologist Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies. The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') is ...

with a particular interest in the history of the

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

region of India. Born in the Rajasthani city of Churu, he studied in the city of

Bikaner Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the States and territories of India, state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. It is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. Fo ...

and at the

University of Delhi The Delhi University (DU, ISO 15919, ISO: ), also and officially known as the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate research university, research Central university (India), central university located in Delhi, India. It ...

. He had degrees of Master of Arts (M.A.) in History and

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

and received a Doctor of Literature (D. Litt.) for his thesis, ''Early Chauhan Dynasties''.

Academic appointments

Sharma was the head of the Department of History at Hindu College, University of Delhi, and later was appointed Reader (equivalent of Associate Professor) in Ancient History at the

. In 1966, he was appointed as Professor and Head of the Department of History at the University of Jodhpur (now renamed Jai Narain Vyas University) and later became Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the same institution. After retirement from the University of Jodhpur, Prof. Sharma served as Director of the Rajasthan Puratattva Mandir near the Rajasthan Oriental Research Institute in

Jodhpur Jodhpur () is the second-largest city of the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, after its capital Jaipur. As of 2023, the city has a population of 1.83 million. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Jodhpur district and ...

. He also presided over the Ancient History section of the Indian History Congress in 1967 and the General History section of the Rajasthan History Congress in 1969.

Authorship

Sharma published over 400 research papers and notes on a wide range of subjects. His ''Early Chauhan Dynasties'' was first published in 1959; a revised edition was published in 1975 and reprinted in 2002. The manuscript argues that the Agnikula myth of the origin of

Rajputs Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

was adapted from

Valmiki Valmiki (; , ) was a legendary poet who is celebrated as the traditional author of the epic ''Ramayana'', based on the attribution in the text itself. He is revered as ''Ādi Kavi'', the first poet, author of ''Ramayana'', the first epic poe ...

and calculates the year of birth for Prithiviraj III using planetary positions described in the ''Prithvirajavijaya''. It also attributes the success of Muhammad Ghori to the rivalry between the

Chauhans Chauhan may refer to: * Chauhan (surname), an Indian surname * Chaguanas, a town in Trinidad and Tobago called Chauhan by the early Indian indentured immigrant Clans * Chauhan Dynasty, a medieval Indian dynasty * Chauhan (caste), Chauhan of Lonia ...

of Shakhambari and the

Chaulukya The Chaulukya dynasty (), also Solanki dynasty, was a dynasty that ruled parts of what are now Gujarat and Rajasthan in north-western India, between and . Their capital was located at Anahilavada (modern Patan). At times, their rule extended ...

s (Solanki) of

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

. Amongst other subjects, ''Lectures on Rajput history and culture'' elaborate on the origin of the Rajputs, bring attention to the celebration in

Kannauj Kannauj (Hindustani language, Hindustani pronunciation: ) is an ancient city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar palika, Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Ut ...

after Prithviraj III was defeated at the

Second Battle of Tarain The Second Battle of Tarain was fought in 1192 between the Ghurid forces of Muhammad Ghuri and the Rajput Confederacy of Prithviraj Chauhan. It took place near Tarain (modern Taraori), which is , north of Delhi. The battle ended in a deci ...

, follow the 13th-century Rajput struggle for survival, and discuss the Rajput resurgence represented by Maharana Kumbha and Rao Jodha. In 1960, Sharma was appointed by the Rajasthan State Archives as General Editor of a comprehensive history of Rajasthan to be published by the Government of Rajasthan. This became the definitive work on the history of Rajasthan. Titled ''Rajasthan through the Ages'' this work was largely written by Sharma and was published in 1966. ''Samrat Prithiviraj Chauhan tritiya aur unka yug'' (in

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

) is an updated text on Prithviraja III.

Monographs

*''Early Chauhan Dynasties:'' a study of Chauhan political history, Chauhan political institutions, and life in the Chauhan dominions, from 800 to 1316 A D :Dasharatha Sharma; with a foreword by K.M. Panikkar. *''Rajasthan through the ages'': a comprehensive and authentic history of Rajasthan, prepared under the orders of the Government of Rajasthan (Volume I) General Editor: Dasharatha Sharma. Publisher: Rajasthan State Archives, Bikaner, 1966. *''Lectures on Rajput history and culture'' (Raghunath Prosad Nopany Lectures 1966), Motilal Banarsidass, Jawahar Nagar, Delhi, 1970. .

Academic appointments

Authorship

Monographs

References

Further reading