Many Histories of Ranthambore Fort, Rajasthan

Abstract

The recording of history is always cursed with the prejudices of the documentor producing in the process multiple versions in different contexts of religion, language and time. The Ranthambore Fort is one of the well known forts of Rajasthan and is popular in locale for the heart flinching battle between their king Hammir Dev and Alauddin Khilji in 1301. The Hindu and Muslim were always on the opposite shores of the political bay, since the Turkish invasions began in the Indian subcontinent. Rajputs gave in one by one, to the autonomical rule of Muslim rulers; Ranthambore was also a centre of multiple raids where in one glorious battle, Hammir Dev gave Khilji a ferocious experience. The locals of Ranthambore area and the Hindu poets of that time left no mark untouched to praise Hammir as a war-lord; the exaggeration is missing in relevant Muslim texts of that time. This biased historiography formed the basis of this study of many histories of Ranthambore fort across centuries while the focus being, the ultimate battle between Hammir Dev and Alauddin Khilji providing us the inter-religious effects on the recording of historical events.