The Last Hindu Emperor
Prithviraj Chauhan and the Indian Past, 1200–2000

This book traces the genealogy and historical memory of the twelfth-century ruler Prithviraj Chauhan, remembered as the 'last Hindu Emperor of India'.

Cynthia Talbot (Author)

9781107118560, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 9 December 2015

325 pages, 13 b/w illus.
23.5 x 15.8 x 2 cm, 0.64 kg

'This lucidly written and clearly argued monograph traces the narrative career of Prithviraj Chauhan, the ruler of Ajmer (southwest of Delhi) in the twelfth century, who was defeated by the Turkic ruler from Ghur, Shihab al-Din, in 1192 CE. … this monograph would be a wonderful resource in courses on historical method - on reading of different genres of historical evidence - as well as in comparative courses on history and memory, and in courses on history and memory in colonial and postcolonial worlds.' Ramya Sreenivasan, The Journal of Asian Studies

This fascinating new study traces traditions and memories relating to the twelfth-century Indian ruler Prithviraj Chauhan; a Hindu king who was defeated and overthrown during the conquest of Northern India by Muslim armies from Afghanistan. Surveying a wealth of narratives that span more than 800 years, Cynthia Talbot explores the reasons why he is remembered, and by whom. In modern times, the Chauhan king has been referred to as 'the last Hindu emperor', because Muslim rule prevailed for centuries following his defeat. Despite being overthrown, however, his name and story have evolved over time into a historical symbol of India's martial valor. The Last Hindu Emperor sheds new light on the enduring importance of heroic histories in Indian culture and the extraordinary ability of historical memory to transform the hero of a clan into the hero of a community, and finally a nation.

1. Introduction: layers of memory
2. Literary trajectories of the historic king
3. Delhi in the making of the last Hindu emperor
4. The heroic vision of a regional elite
5. Imagining the Rajput past in Mughal-era Mewar
6. Validating Prithviraj R?so in colonial India, 1820s–70s
7. Contested meanings in a nationalist age, 1880s–1940s
8. Epilogue: the postcolonial Prithviraj
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: History of ideas [JFCX], Buddhism [HRE], History of religion [HRAX], Asian history [HBJF]