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  3. The Last Hindu Emperor
  • Cited by 15
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    • Publisher:
      Cambridge University Press
      Publication date:
      05 December 2015
      09 December 2015
      ISBN:
      9781316339893
      9781107118560
      9781107544376
      DOI:
      https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781316339893
      Dimensions:
      (228 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.64kg, 325 Pages
      Dimensions:
      (229 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.49kg, 328 Pages
      • Subjects:
      Area Studies, South Asian History, Asian Studies, History, History of Ideas and Intellectual History
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    Subjects:
    Area Studies, South Asian History, Asian Studies, History, History of Ideas and Intellectual History
    Information

    Book description

    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.

    Awards

    Winner, 2018 Ananda Kentish Coomaraswany Book Prize, Association for Asian Studies

    Reviews

    'While Talbot’s archive is almost entirely restricted to the written word, she executes a sensitive reading that allows her to furnish a nuanced picture of the communities that wrote and read such works. Especially rich is Talbot’s description of the Rajput elites for whom the Raso was a central text beginning in the late sixteenth century.'

    Audrey Truschke Source: H-Asia

    '… Cynthia Talbot seeks to excavate the layers of memory sedimented around the celebrated Indian king Prithviraj Chauhan (1166–1192). … Talbot’s book … highlights the continued relevance of medieval history in the politics of the past.'

    Daud Ali Source: American Historical Review

    '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 Source: The Journal of Asian Studies

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