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RAS question

Consider the following statements about the authorship controversy of Prithviraj Raso: 1. G.H. Ojha argued that Chand Bardai never existed and the text was entirely fabricated in the 15th century. 2. The text exists in multiple recensions of vastly different lengths (from ~1300 to ~16,000 verses), which itself is evidence of extensive interpolation. 3. Minhaj-i-Siraj's Tabaqat-i-Nasiri, a contemporary source, corroborates all the major events described in Prithviraj Raso. 4. Colonel James Tod accepted Prithviraj Raso uncritically as a reliable historical source. Which of the above statements are correct?

Correct answer: (B) 2 and 4 only.

For the Prithviraj Raso authorship controversy, only statements 2 and 4 are correct: the text survives in sharply different recensions showing later interpolation, and James Tod treated it as an authentic historical source.

  1. (A)

    1 and 3 only

  2. (B)

    2 and 4 only

  3. (C)

    1, 2 and 4 only

  4. (D)

    1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation

Statement 2 is correct because Prithviraj Raso is not a single stable text: Wikipedia notes several recensions, with a small Bikaner manuscript of about 1,300 stanzas and the longest Udaipur manuscript running to 16,306 stanzas. That wide spread supports the standard view that later interpolation and additions greatly expanded the work. Statement 4 is also correct: James Tod introduced the text to Western scholarship and characterised it as an authentic historical source, a judgement later historians treat as unreliable. Statement 1 goes too far, since Ojha questioned the text's authenticity and rejected forged support for it, but he did not deny Chand Bardai's existence. Statement 3 is wrong because Tabaqat-i Nasiri does not corroborate all Raso episodes.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) Option A accepts statements 1 and 3, but Ojha did not make the extreme claim that Chand Bardai never existed, and Tabaqat-i Nasiri does not corroborate all major Raso events.
  • (C) Option C is spoiled by statement 1, which overstates Ojha's position: he questioned the authenticity of the surviving Raso tradition, not the very existence of Chand Bardai.
  • (D) Option D treats all four statements as correct, although statements 1 and 3 fail: Ojha's position is exaggerated, and Tabaqat-i Nasiri conflicts with, rather than confirms, several Raso narratives.

Concept

This tests source criticism in medieval Rajasthan history: recensions, interpolation and later bardic tradition must be weighed against contemporary or near-contemporary evidence. RAS repeats this theme because Prithviraj Raso is culturally important but historically problematic.

Source

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