Mahamahopadhayaya Kaviraja Shyamaldas Dadhivadia (1836-1893), popularly referred to as ''Kaviraja'' (
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 ...
: king of poets) was one of the early writers involved in documenting the history and culture of what is now
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
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
.
Authorship
Shyamaldas co-wrote ( with his father Kayamadana Dadhivadia ) the ''Dipanga Kul Prakash'', an extended narrative poem on the Dodia
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 ...
of Mewar. Maharana Sajjan Singh, ruler of
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 ...
(
princely state), assigned Shyamaldas the task of compiling an authentic history 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 ...
. Titled ''Vir Vinod'' ( Hindi: Heroes' Delight ), this is the earliest known comprehensive history written in Mewar. It reached the public only in 1930 as Maharana Fateh Singh ( Maharana Sajjan Singh's successor) was averse to its publication.
Negotiator and mentor
Shyamaldas was also a confidant of Maharana Sajjan Singh and was entrusted with the delicate negotiations which resulted in a quick end to the Bhil rebellion of 1881. Later, Shyamaldas' pupil,
Gaurishankar Hirachand Ojha also became a famed historian and writer.
Honors and awards
Shyamaldas was honored with the degree of ''Mahamahopadhayaya'' and conferred with the ''Kesar-e-Hind'' ( Lion of India) by the British Government.
[Cultural contours of India p37]
References
Further reading
*
External links
*Permalink to Vir Vinod listing in Library of Congress catalo
*University of Chicago Library Catalo
*''Mewar ke gaurav-Kaviraj Shyamaldas'' in Hind
मेवाड़ के गौरव - कविराजा श्यामल दास
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shyamaldas, Kaviraj
Historians from British India
19th-century Indian historians
Scholars from Rajputana
1836 births
1893 deaths