Tareekh-e-Rajasthan is an unpublished Persian manuscript which throw the light on history of princely states of Rajputana.
The Tareekh-e-Rajasthan [1] captioned ‘Nasbul Ansab is an unpublished treaties in Persian on the History of Rajasthan. Tareekh-e-Rajasthan describes in its own appealing style the culture and outstanding historical contributions of Rajasthan to the history of India.
Its author was Kali Ram Kayasth a resident of Ajmer. In the preface the author writes that he had been commissioned to undertake this work in deference to the wishes of Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh of Jaipur in the year 1209 A.H. or 1794 A.D.
It appears from the referential contents of the book; that the author must have consulted the Archives of the Jaipur State such as the Pothi Khana, Kapat Dwara and Toushak Khana Records and studied the Furmans (फरमान) the Sanads (सनद) and the Akhbarat (अखबार) which are now known by the comprehensive term “Jalpur Archives”.
Apart from these, the author had most likely collected matter from the Jodhpur, Udaipur and Kota State repositories too, which justifiably makes the contents of the manuscript under review, reliable and authentic.[2]
It is a valuable and richly informative compilation on the history of the rulers of Jaipur, Mewar, Marwar and Hadauti, though the author has also included references to the affairs of Sind, Gujrat and the Punjab. The first part of the book deals with the Kachhwahas the rulers of the Jaipur State from very beginning right up to the reign of Sawai Pratap Singh. [3]
The second portion of this manuscript is a record about the Sisodias the rulers of Udaipur. It abounds in the facts of their chivalrous heroes, their achievements and anecdotes of velour.
The Rathores of Jodhpur and the Hadoti dynasty of Bundi have also found a place in this chapter.
The third part of the book contains the account of veteran generals seasoned Sardars and famous rulers of Ajmer, Sind, Deccan and Gujrat.
[1] Savediya m/55 library list no. M-FAnne Tareekh No. 39.
[2] Article appeared in the Journal of the Institute of Historical Research Jaipur, July 1967.
[3] Sahibzada Shaukatali Khan, Unpublished Persian Manuscripts On The History And Culture Of Rajasthan, Proceedings of Rajasthan History Congress, 1968, pp.96-98.
