Srinagar: Kashmir’s centuries-old historical account ‘Rajatarangini’, written by historian Kalhana between 1148 and 1149, has been inscribed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.
“Proud moment for Jammu Kashmir & the nation! Kalhaṇa’s Rajatarangini, Mahabharata & Arthasastra have been inscribed in @UNESCO’s Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register,” the office of J&K L-G announced on X.
His office said that the inclusion of Rajatarangini celebrates Kashmir’s rich intellectual heritage.
“This global recognition reaffirms the timeless value of India’s civilisational traditions and their contribution to humanity, reminding us of our collective responsibility to preserve and promote this invaluable wisdom for future generations,” said the L-G office.
Ministry of External Affairs Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India’s timeless wisdom earns global recognition.
“The Rājataraṅgiṇī of Kalhaṇa, the Mahābhārata and the Arthaśāstra of Kauṭilya have been inscribed on @UNESCO’s Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP) Regional Register,” he also wrote on X.
He further said that it is a proud moment for India’s timeless knowledge traditions, which continue to resonate across generations and borders.
Rajatarangini is a metrical, legendary and historical chronicle of the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent, particularly the kings of Kashmir.
Written in Sanskrit by the Kashmiri Brahman Kalhana in 1148, the account is justifiably considered to be the best and most authentic work of its kind.
The manuscript covers the entire span of history in the Kashmir region from the earliest times to the date of its composition.
Kalhana’s access to minute details of contemporary court intrigues was almost direct: his father and uncle were both in the Kashmir court.
He delved deep into such model works as the Harsacarita and the Brihat-samhita epics and used with commendable familiarity the local rajakathas (royal chronicles) and such previous works on Kashmir as Nripavali by Kshemendra, Parthivavali by Helaraja, and Nilamatapurana.
He displayed surprisingly advanced technical expertise for the time in his concern for unconventional sources.
He examined a variety of epigraphic sources on royal eulogies, temple construction, and land grants; he studied coins, monumental remains, family records, and local traditions.
But his traditional conceptual framework, using uncritical assumptions and a belief in the role of the poet as an exponent of moral maxim, makes the idealising content in his narrative, particularly for the early period, rather dominant.
(IANS)
