Gaurishankar Hirachand Ojha (15 September, 1863– 17 April, 1947), born in Rohida village of

Sirohi District Sirohi District is a district of Rajasthan state in western India. The town of Sirohi is the district headquarters. Abu Road is the largest city in Sirohi District in terms of area and population. As of 2011 it is the third least populous di ...

, was a historian from the Indian state of

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 ...

. A prolific author, he wrote several books ( 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 ...

) on the history of Rajasthan and other historical subjects. Subsequent historians from Rajasthan have referred to him as ''Guruvara

Mahamahopadhyaya Mahamahopadhyaya (Sanskrit: महामहोपाध्याय) is an honorific title given to prestigious scholars by the Government of India. Prior to 1947, the title was bestowed by the British Raj, and before them, by the kings of ancien ...

'' (e.g.

Dasharatha Sharma Dasharatha Sharma (1903–1976) was an Indologist with a particular interest in the history of the Rajasthan region of India. Born in the Rajasthani city of Churu, he studied in the city of Bikaner and at the University of Delhi. He had degree ...

in ''Early Chauhan Dynasties''). Ojha regarded ''Kaviraj''

Shyamaldas Mahamahopadhayaya Kaviraja Shyamaldas Dadhivadia (1836-1893), popularly referred to as ''Kaviraja'' (Hindi: king of poets) was one of the early writers involved in documenting the history and culture of what is now Rajasthan region of India. A ...

as his ''guru'' and worked under him as assistant secretary of the historical department,

Udaipur Udaipur (Hindi: , ) (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura'') is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, about south of the state capital Jaipur. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Udaipur district. It is the historic capital of t ...

Early life and education

Dr. Ojha was born in a

Audichya Brahmins Audichya Brahmins are a Hindu Brahmin sub-caste primarily of Kanyakubja Brahmin origin mainly from the Indian state of Gujarat. They are the most numerous Brahmin community in Gujarat. A minority of them reside in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Ac ...

family, his father's name was Hirachand Ojha. His primary education was completed at his home and then he moved to Bombay for further education, where he learnt about Scripts, Archaeology and History. Thereafter, he came to

, where Maharana Fateh Singh appointed him as Head of State Archaeological Department. In 1908, Dr. Ojha was appointed as Head of Rajputana Museum, Ajmer. He worked on this post for 38 years.

Authorship

In 1894, Dr. Ojha published his ''Bharatiya Prachin Lipimala'' (the first book devoted to the palæography of India), a revised edition was published in 1918. Dr. Ojha penned '' Solankiyon ka Itihasa'' (''History of the Solanki'') in 1907 and ''

Sirohi Sirohi is a town, located in Sirohi district in southern Rajasthan state in western India. It is the administrative headquarters of Sirohi District and was formerly the capital of the princely state of Sirohi ruled by Deora Chauhan Rajput ...

Rajya ka Itihasa'' (''History: Kingdom of Sirohi'') in 1911. In 1926, Ojha published the first book of his History of

Rajputana Rājputana (), meaning Land of the Rajputs, was a region in the Indian subcontinent that included mainly the entire present-day States of India, Indian state of Rajasthan, parts of the neighboring states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and adjo ...

series. Histories of the princely states of

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 ...

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 ...

Dungarpur Dungarpur is a city in the southernmost part of Rajasthan, India. History Dungarpur is the seat of the elder branch of the Guhilot of Mewar family. The seat of the younger branch is that of the Maharana of Udaipur. The city was founded in ...

Banswara Banswara is a city in the Banswara district in southern Rajasthan, India. The name, Banswara, came from king ‘Bansiya Bhil’. Banswara is also known as "City of a Hundred Islands", "The Green City", which is often referred to as " Cherrap ...

released over a twelve-year period (1929–1941). Ojha also wrote a biography of

James Tod Lieutenant-Colonel James Tod (20 March 1782 – 18 November 1835) was an officer of the British East India Company and an Orientalism, Oriental scholar. He combined his official role and his amateur interests to create a series of works ...

titled ''Supraprasiddha itihaskara Karnala James Tod ka jivan charitra''. A 1928 lecture series at the Hindustani Akademi,

Allahabad Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi, Varanasi (Benar ...

was published as '' Madhyakalina Bharatiya Sanskriti'' and later translated into

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

Honours and awards

* Rao Bahadur in 1914. * In 1927, the All India Hindi Sahitya Sammelan conferred the honorary degree of ''Mahamahopadhayaya'' (greatest of venerable teachers) on Ojha. In celebration of his seventieth birthday, the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, Allahabad brought out and presented to Ojha a felicitation volume (containing original articles from several scholars) titled ''Bharatiya Anushilana Grantha''. * Sahitya Vachaspati in 1937.Ojha Nibandh Sangrah, Sahitya Sansthan, Rajasthan Vidya Peeth, Udaipur 1954

Bibliography

Books on history of Rajasthan and constituent kingdoms

*''Banswara Rajya ka Itihasa'' ( History: Kingdom of Banswara). First published 1937. Publisher: Rajasthani Granthaghar, Jodhpur 1998. *''Bikaner Rajya Ka Itihasa'' ( History: Kingdom of Bikaner), First published 1937. Publisher: Rajasthani Granthaghar, Jodhpur 2007. (Vol I) (Vol II). *''Dungarpur Rajya ka Itihasa'' (History: Kingdom of Dungarpur). First published 1936. Publisher: Rajasthani Granthaghar, Jodhpur 2000. . *''Jodhpur Rajya ka Itihasa'' (History: Kingdom of Jodhpur). Publisher: Vaidika Yantralaya,

Ajmer Ajmer () is a city in the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Ajmer district and Ajmer division. It lies at the centre of Rajasthan, earning it the ...

1938. *''

Marwar Marwar (also called Jodhpur region) is a region of western Rajasthan state in North Western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. 'Maru' is a Sanskrit word for desert. The word 'wad' literally means fence in Rajasthani languages. Engl ...

Rajya ka Itihasa'' ( History: Kingdom of Marwar),1938. *''Pratapgarh Rajya ka Itihasa'' ( History: Kingdom of Pratapgarh). Publisher: Rajasthani Granthaghar, Jodhpur 2000. . *''Rajputane ka Itihas'' ( History of Rajputana), Publisher: Vaidika Yantralaya, Ajmer 1927. *''Sirohi Rajya ka Itihasa'' ( History: Kingdom of Sirohi ), 1911. *''Solankiyon ka Pracin Itihas'' ( Early history of the Solanki). First published 1907. Publisher: Sabda Mahima Prakasan,

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

, 1995. *''Udaipur Rajya ka Itihasa'' (History: Kingdom of Udaipur). Publisher: Rajasthani Granthaghar, Jodhpur 1999–2006. (Vol I) (Vol II). *''Vir-Siromani

Maharana Pratap Pratap Singh I (9 May 1540 – 19 January 1597), popularly known as Maharana Pratap (), was king of the Kingdom of Mewar, in north-western India in the present-day state of Rajasthan, from 1572 until his death in 1597. He is notable for leadi ...

simha:Sacitra'' ( Exploits of Pratapsingh: Maharana of

Mewar Mewar, also spelled as Mewad is a region in the south-central part of Rajasthan state of India. It includes the present-day districts of Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Pirawa Tehsil of Jhalawar District of Rajasth ...

) First published 1928. Publisher Rajasthani Granthaghar, Jodhpur 1998. . * ''Bharatiya Pracheen Lipimala'' Publisher: Publication Scheme, Jaipur 2008

Books on other subjects

*''Asokakalina dharmika abhilekha'' ( Religious inscriptions from the reign of

Ashoka Ashoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka ( ; , ; – 232 BCE), and popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was List of Mauryan emperors, Emperor of Magadha from until #Death, his death in 232 BCE, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynast ...

). G.H. Ojha and Shyam Sunder Das; Prastavana, V.K. Mathura. Publisher: Bharatiya Kala Prakashan, Delhi 2002 ( In

Prakrit Prakrit ( ) is a group of vernacular classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 5th century BCE to the 12th century CE. The term Prakrit is usually applied to the middle period of Middle Ind ...

, Sanskrit and Hindi ). . *''Bharatiya Prachin Lipimala'' ( The palæography of India ). First published 1894. Publisher of 3rd edition Munshiram Manoharlal, New Delhi 1971. *''Bharatiya Sahitya ki Ruparekha'' ( Outline of Indian Literature ). Publisher: Bharatiya Granthaghar,

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

1956. *''Madhyakalina Bharatiya Sanskriti'' ( Indian culture in the Middle Ages). Publisher: Hindustani Akademi, Allahabad, 1945. *''Quarun-i Vusta men Hindustani Tahzib, sanah 600 se sanah 1100 tak'' ( Urdu translation of above listing ) Translated by Prem Chand. Publisher: Hindustani Akademi,

. *'' Nagari Anka aur Akshara'' ( Evolution of Devnagari numerals and alphabet ). G.H. Ojha, Keshavdev Mishra. Tenth edition 1949. Publisher: Hindi Sahitya Sammelana,

Prayaga Prayagraj (, ; ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the administrati ...

2006. *''Prachin Bharatiya Abhilekha'' ( Ancient Indian inscriptions ). Publisher: Bharatiya Kala Prakashan, Delhi 2006. . *''Suprasiddha itihaskara Karnala

ka jivana charitra'' ( Biography of Col. James Tod ). Publisher: Rajasthani Granthaghar, Jodhpur 2002. *''Ojha Nibandh Sangrah'' (Collection of Article)by publisher: Shabd Mahima Prakashan, Jaipur 2010. .

Commemorative volume

*''Bharatiya anushilana grantha'' /nowiki>Festschrift ( festival of writing/celebratory publication ) honouring Gaurishankar Hiranchand Ojha on his seventieth birthday, includes articles on Hindi literature/nowiki>. Publisher: Hindi Sahitya Sammelana, Prayaga 1933.

Collected works

*''Ojha Nibandha Sangraha''. Publisher: Udayapura Sahitya Samsthan, Rajasthan Visva Vidyapith, 1954.

Edited books

*''Muhonata Nainasi ki khyata''. Hindi translation by Ramanarayan Dugar. In 2 volumes. Editor Volume 2: G.H. Ojha. Publisher: Nagaripracharini Sabha, Kashi 1934. *''Prachina Mudra'' ( Coins of ancient India) by Rakhal Das Banerji, translated by Ramchandra Varma. Editor G.H. Ojha. Publisher: Nagaripracharini Sabha, Varanasi 1992. *''Prithvirajavijaya'' (Poem in

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 ...

on ''Prithviraja'' III by ''Jayanaka'' in 12th century CE and commentary of ''Jonaraja''). Edited by G. H. Ojha and Chandradhar Sharma Guleri. First published 1941. Publisher: Rajasthani Granthaghar, Jodhpur 1997.

Edited commemorative volume

*''Koshotsava Smaraka Sangraha''. Collection of articles on Hindi language and literature to mark completion of Hindi ''shabdkosh'' (dictionary). Dedicated to the memory of Shyam Sundar Das. First published 1927. Editor: G.H. Ojha. Publisher: Nagari Pracharini Sabha,

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

1985.

Catalogue of publications

*''Mahamahopadhyaya Raibahadur Pandit Gaurishankar Hirachand Ojha Sangraha Suchee''. Principal Editor Dharmapala Sharma; Editors Ishvarsingh Ranawat, Mohabbatsingh Rathore. Publisher: Pratap Shodha Prathishtan, Udaipur 2008.

References

External links

*Early Chauhan Dynasties at google book

*Cultural contours of India at google book

*''Nagari Anka aur Akshara'' at Digital South Asia Librar

*University of Chicago Library catalogu

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ojha, Gaurishankar Hirachand 19th-century Indian historians 1863 births 1947 deaths People from Sirohi district 20th-century Indian historians Rai Bahadurs