Prithviraj Raso
Topic: Early Medieval North India: Harsha to the Rajputs · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Prithviraj Raso is a long heroic poem about Prithviraja III Chauhan, the king who fought Muhammad Ghuri at Tarain. It is written in an early form of Hindi called Pingal, a literary language of Rajasthan. Tradition credits it to Chand Bardai, Prithviraja's court poet. Later writers added a great deal to it over many centuries, so historians use it carefully. It is valued more as literature and as part of the Rajput heroic tradition.
Example
The poem tells how Prithviraja carried off Samyogita, daughter of Jayachandra of Kannauj, and describes his wars with Ghuri. Many of these stories cannot be confirmed by inscriptions.
Don't confuse with
- Prithvirajavijaya: a Sanskrit poem written by Jayanaka during Prithviraja's own lifetime. Historians trust it more than the much-expanded Raso.