Rajasthan has a very reputed place in the country. It has played a major role in contributing to various literature and languages. Rajasthan has a very rich culture and tradition. This makes it the place where varied languages and works of literature are found.
The residents of Rajasthan have contributed to a great extent to the rise of Indian culture, art, and literature. The artists have done a great job preserving the Indian heritage for centuries through their skills.
Rajasthani language evolved from the Sauraseni Prakrit language. Rajasthani literature was started in the early 11th century when the Maru-Gurjari language was developed. It is written in many forms and genres.
The ancient works of Rajasthan were found as carvings and inscriptions on rock edits, stones, coins, and seals. The written form was mainly inspired by the traditional way of oral literature. People thought it was safe to preserve the literature in a written form to be carried out from one generation to another.
In Rajasthan, literary works are majorly divided into the following broad categories:
These works of literature are very old and were written when Sanskrit and Prakrit were the prominent languages of the country. They were written in the year 1500. The Brahsfut Siddhanta is one of the oldest Rajasthani literary works written by the ancient astronomer and mathematician, Brahmagupta.
Some famous literary works include:
The pieces of literature in this category are mainly written in the Rajasthani language. These can be further classified into the following categories depending upon the time frames, relative history, and traditions:
The Hindi literature in Rajasthan became famous during the National movement. The poets wrote against the Britishers to arouse the feeling of nationality and unity. This motivated the people to take a stand against the Britishers. The Hindi literature also exposed the reality of the Britishers and their exploitation.
Surya Mal Mishran, Girvardhan, and Bhopaldan are some of the well-known writers of that period.
After independence, the Rajput poets of virkavya very smoothly described the sacrifice of the gallant freedom fighters. Their poem depicted the love and selfishness for nationality among the soldiers. They carved out the story of the brave soldiers in the Rajasthani dialect with the help of Dingal versification and bardic idiom.
The modern period is also regarded as the transitional phase. After attaining freedom, India did not remain the same. The social, political, and economic conditions were changed. Indian literature was exposed to Western ideologies. The old customs and traditions received a jolt. This was the transition period when modern literature gave birth.
The poets wrote about the progress of the country. Humorous and satirical poems gave birth. Poets started writing in Hindi, which came to be known as the Nai Kavita. The main focus of the Nai Kavita was the changes in attitude towards life, human values, and the environment.
The poems in modern Rajasthani literature were written to pay homage to famous historical people. The main themes of the literary works include patriotism and heroic.
Rajasthani Literature Books
Some Rajasthani literature books worth reading are:
This article mainly focuses on Rajasthani literature and its various forms and classifications. It explains in detail the Rajasthani language and literature. One can go through it and can be aware of Rajasthani literature.