The last Hindu emperor: Prithviraj Chauhan and the Indian past 1200-2000

Table of Contents

The Last Hindu Emperor pp i-ii
The Last Hindu Emperor - Title page pp iii-iii
Copyright page pp iv-iv
Contents pp v-v
Illustrations pp vi-vi
Acknowledgements pp vii-viii
Note on transliteration and citation pp ix-ix
Abbreviations pp x-x
1 - Introduction: layers of memory pp 1-28
2 - Literary trajectories of the historic king pp 29-68
3 - Delhi in the making of the last Hindu emperor pp 69-106
4 - The heroic vision of an elite regional epic pp 107-145
5 - Imagining the Rajput past in Mughal-era Mewar pp 146-182
6 - Validating Prithviraj Raso in colonial India, 1820s–1870s pp 183-218
7 - Contested meanings in a nationalist age, 1880s–1940s pp 219-261
8 - Epilogue: the postcolonial Prithviraj pp 262-276
Appendix - Prithviraj Raso’s textual history pp 277-290
Bibliography pp 291-311
Index pp 312-316

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 valour. 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.


https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/last-hindu-emperor/39C2F2225202C2630BF5616A62AF4D58#fndtn-information