| FA-53037-07 | Research Programs: Fellowships for University Teachers | Cynthia M. Talbot | Remembering a Rajput Hero: Martial Tales and Identities in India | 6/1/2008 - 5/31/2009 | $40,000.00 | Cynthia | M. | Talbot | | | | University of Texas, Austin | Austin | TX | 78712-0100 | USA | 2006 | South Asian History | Fellowships for University Teachers | Research Programs | 40000 | 0 | 40000 | 0 |
"Remembering a Rajput Hero" asks why the king Prithviraj Chauhan has been considered memorable for the past 800 years. Notable primarily for his defeat to a Muslim Afghan king who conquered North India, Prithviraj was later transformed into a heroic figure for the Rajput community of Hindu warriors, and eventually into a symbol of Hindu resistance against foreign oppression. By exploring his past lives as a hero in a variety of written narratives, this project seeks to clarify how cultural symbols are constructed, transmitted, and transformed over the ages. It will contribute to our knowledge of Hindu-Muslim relations, Indian conceptions of history, the martial culture of Hindu India, and the ways the past is being used in India today. |