Papers by Krishna Shekhawat
The transition of landscape from nature to natural resources has been studied through the lens of... more The transition of landscape from nature to natural resources has been studied through the lens of geography and environment even as it equally is, as I argue, the landscape in interaction with humans which the historian is concerned with. The discourse on state sponsored water management only begins with British intervention in the field. This paper attempts to fill in such thematic lacunae by elucidating the case of Mehrangarh, the fifteenth century fort of Jodhpur. The attempts are to layout the fort's water management web and then study each strain as forwarding the evolution of the state's active welfare programme, strategically localized near religious spaces, built earlier or for the preservation of the water body. Within this framework, the paper will attempt a departure from the conventional clash-based discourse between 'modern' and 'traditional' technology and therefore identify the need to redefine them. Corroborating primary sources and archaeological evidence with oral histories will the making of such an argument.
This essay investigates Kabir’s compositions on his ideas about organised religion and transcendi... more This essay investigates Kabir’s compositions on his ideas about organised religion and transcending religion itself which will be explored vis-a-vis his co-option into the project of communal harmony in present times .
On January 1, 2019, members of Mahar community were attacked by the upper-caste Marathas. Dalits,... more On January 1, 2019, members of Mahar community were attacked by the upper-caste Marathas. Dalits, Muslims, Christians and Bahujans had congregated at Shaniwar vada, the bulwark of Peshwa rule to commemorate ‘Elgaar Parishad’, bicentennial celebration of Battle of Koregaon in 1818. This paper uses this event as a reference point to understand present communal contestations as also traces the history of the Mahar community to understand how they were shaped.
Issues of trade have seldom deviated from economic history or perhaps its scope to delve in the r... more Issues of trade have seldom deviated from economic history or perhaps its scope to delve in the realms of art has been too less. At Shekhawati, a conglomeration of towns situated between Jaipur and Delhi, manifested a phenomenon of visual culture within two hundred years spanning the 18th, 19th and 20th century. This work seeks to study the inverse relationship of brigandry and trade to understand the nature of triangular relationship of Rajputs and Baniyas with Mughals and later the British. The varied responses in the bargain of interests will be studied through classified surveys of towns to draw a comparitive analysis of the ownership of opulent frescoes with the three stages of painting identified in the existing works. This work seeks to understand the nature of the Shekhawati fresco even as it attempts to move beyond the domination of fresco towards a most appealing set of architectural forms including baoli, raola, temple among others. This attempt is motivated by the concoction of existing historiography constituted by either too brief an engagement or one with amateur infatuation or worse, to better enterprise motives. This study arrives at such a juncture to engage with the visual culture of Shekhawati through theoretical and academic tools of study. Classification of themes, reasoning the longitudinal and contiguous arrangement of unrelated themes, and identification of art quantitatively through survey of towns will be used as primary methods to build the bases of study. Living traditions in oral history will complement as also fill the muteness of literary traditions and artistic justifications wherever applicable. The objective of this work then is to question the bland awe for this region with a deeper insight into complexities of nomenclature of the art and sponsor, gendered readings, origin and disappearance of the chittera and a baniya’s identification with ‘home’. By posing the possibility of institutionalization, this study will act as a potential gateway to situate Shekhawati in the larger understanding of spaces for museum experience, the status of ‘open art gallery’ presenting uniqueness- in visitor experience and complications of realisation.
The transition of landscape from nature to natural resources has been studied through the lens of... more The transition of landscape from nature to natural resources has been studied through the lens of geography and environment even as it equally is, as one argues, the landscape in interaction with human which the historian is concerned with. The discourse on state sponsored water management only begins with British intervention in the field. This paper attempts to fill in such thematic lacunae by elucidating the case of Mehrangarh, the fifteenth century fort of Jodhpur. The attempt will be to lay out it’s water management web and then study each strain as forwarding the evolution of the state’s active welfare programme, strategically localized near religious spaces, built earlier or for the preservation of the water body. Within this framework, the paper also will elucidate this exemplary case of brilliantly efficient water management system to attempt a departure from the conventional clash-based discourse between ‘modern’ and ‘traditional’ technology and therefore identify the need to redefine them. The usefulness of primary source, archaeological evidence and oral history will be reiterated in the making of such an argument.
Eric Hobsbawme has rightly said ‘history is to nationalism like poppy is to opium addicts.’ Histo... more Eric Hobsbawme has rightly said ‘history is to nationalism like poppy is to opium addicts.’ History is often the first victim proven quite explicitly in the propagation of Hindtva ideology which begs for a uniform culture with exclusively upper-class Hindu elements. This necessitates a discussion of how Hinduism has evolved as an umbrella organization, as against an organized institution, and how this very feature allows any individual to stand for Hinduism with a ‘legitimate claim’. Therefore, the discussion traces the emergence of Hinduism as evolving from theistic cults like Saivism and Vaisnaivism which in turn have borrowed as well as influenced what we today know as the ‘lesser traditions’. The attempt is to first understand the situations of ancient India and the religious circumstances to then move on to a destruction of Hindutva ideology based on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s vision which continues to influence the ideology of right-wing organizations like Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangha and deconstruct the bases for such an argument on grounds of wrong borrowings from ancient India. a conscious effort will also be made towards the end to understand the role of colonial disjuncture and the repercussions of blindly building on them, in civil law and communal activities.
The common thread binding myths, legends and folklore is memory. Pierre Nora has made an importan... more The common thread binding myths, legends and folklore is memory. Pierre Nora has made an important observation in this context: quote 'memory is always suspect in the eyes of history.' The most insightful historical scholarships argue that memory is forged and transmitted deliberately. The question is : do literary sources escape these flaws then? In this sense, as Ramya Sreenivasan says, like other sources, memory is itself a deeply historical practice. Embedded in the term 'Rajpoot' is a sense of pride, valour and sacrifice. The pride of a raja does but encompass his queen's pride. If chundawat, chieftain of Salumbar is remembered for the valorous fight he put up against Aurangzeb's army, so is his wife Hadi Rani who cut her head as memento so that her husband doesn't get distracted by missing her. While Rana Sanga is considered to be the epitome of sacrifice in marusthala, rani padmini has been immortalized by the jawhar she committed. The Rajput queens have been as famous a source for inspiration as their counterparts. This resonates in the legends that have circulated in the Rajpootana and beyond. The hype created around these figures only reflects the awe that they created or was being attempted at creating in the minds of common people. Stories of great kings and queens have intrigued me since childhood. One such has been Rani Padmini who has been glorified as 'a perfect model of ideal Indian womanhood' in the Amar Chitra Katha most of us have grown up reading. However, it is essential first to establish her as a historical figure first. Therefore, my area of research would cover the legend of Padmini, as described in Jayasi's Padmavat, and dwell on critically analyzing its sources, variations, authenticity, gender relations and other social implications.. One of the most celebrated figures of Rajasthan has been Padmini, believed to have been the Rajput queen of Mewar in the early 14 th century. Before diving into the complexities of the legend attributed to her, I would first give the basic story of Padmavat: Rani padmini is the princess of Singhal. Ratansen is the ruler of chitaur who is told about the beauty of Padmini by a parrot, Hiraman. At the mere mention of her, Ratansen burns in anguish of separation from her. He ultimately makes her his wife through penance. Meanwhile, raghav chetan, a Brahmin in the court of ratansen is banished for wrongful use of his magical powers. As revenge, he goes to Alaudin Khilji to arouse his desires for Padmini. Alaudin's lust for Padmini manifests in a siege on Mewar in 1303. meanwhile, ratansen is engaged in war with Devpal of Khumbhalner where he dies. Knowing of their ultimate fate, Padmini along with many other women save their honour by commiting a jawhar unprecendented in history. Alaudin Khilji wins an empty fortress even as his main motive of acquiring Padmini is defeated. The first known narrative of the legend comes from Malik Muhammad Jayasi's Padmavat (1540) in Avadhi. In recent times, scholars are in consensus that Padmavat was most likely written in Persian script. This comes as a fresh perspective because mention of characters from Mahabharata and Ramayana agrues against such a claim (The bow of Rama that built the bridge
Drafts by Krishna Shekhawat
Bird's Spartacus hopes for "earth's disenthralment" and urges the gladiators to strike out: Death... more Bird's Spartacus hopes for "earth's disenthralment" and urges the gladiators to strike out: Death to the Roman fiends, that make their mirth Out of the groans of bleeding misery! Ho, slaves, arise! it is your hour to kill! Kill and spare not -For wrath and liberty! -Freedom for bondmen -freedom and revenge Spartacus has been a figure of much glare and enigma. Although a villain for all Roman historians, in most American eyes during the nineteenth century he acted as a European leader in the best, finest, cleanest military and oratorical tradition. (6) Even to this day, be it books, TV shows or the eternal Rubrick's Spartacus of 1960, Spartacus has been glorified, interestingly not for the great revolt he mustered but the act of rebelling itself. (4) However, it is much more important to dwell into the deeper aspects related to him and the third slave war to get a better perspective of him and his actions which left an indelible mark on the history of ancient Roman world.
Conference Presentations by Krishna Shekhawat
Books by Krishna Shekhawat
RK Publishers, 2020
The transition of landscape from nature to natural resources has been studied through the lens of... more The transition of landscape from nature to natural resources has been studied through the lens of geography and environment even as it equally is, as I argue, the landscape in interaction with humans which the historian is concerned with. The discourse on state sponsored water management only begins with British intervention in the field. This paper attempts to fill in such thematic lacunae by elucidating the case of Mehrangarh, the fifteenth century fort of Jodhpur. The attempts are to layout the fort’s water management web and then study each strain as forwarding the evolution of the state’s active welfare programme, strategically localized near religious spaces, built earlier or for the preservation of the water body. Within this framework, the paper will attempt a departure from the conventional clash-based discourse between ‘modern’ and ‘traditional’ technology and therefore identify the need to redefine them. Corroborating primary sources and archaeological evidence with oral histories will the making of such an argument.
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Papers by Krishna Shekhawat
Drafts by Krishna Shekhawat
Conference Presentations by Krishna Shekhawat
Books by Krishna Shekhawat