Revisiting Veer Vinod: First positivist history of Mewar
Author(s): Harshita Priyadarshi
Abstract: The aim of this research paper is to establish Veer Vinod as a foundational text in the trend of positivist history writing in Mewar of the 18th Century India. Vir Vinod was a project on the history of Mewar written by Shyamaldas (1836–93) the royal poet who adorned the court of Maharana Sajjan Singh in the time (1859-84) of Mewar. It deviates from the trend of historical documentation practiced by the 'Kavis and Bhats' of the then Rajputana. It was printed in four volumes in 1886. Written in Urdu-mixed Hindi and composed in an eloquent style, this book had achieved a high standard in the early Indian history-literature of Hindi by being the first detailed written history of Mewar. Shyamal Das was appointed to a position in what was probably a first for Rajasthan's princely states, perhaps even for India, as the head of a History Department with a professional staff and a large budget. This event proved to be unique in being the only instance where a Maharana established a separate department and provided enough money to cover the expenses incurred on account of the staff, research and printing. Shyamldas excels in his description of issues and events considered contentious as they are delivered in a factual manner. Yet he remained simply a "Darbari Charan Historian" even though he distanced himself from the mythical history of the bards and plunges into the new positivist history through Veer Vinod. The way he treats history makes Veer Vinod a work of abiding interest. This research paper aims to present a case for Veer Vinod as a book which is highly germane in the analysis of the positivist trends in history writing pertaining to Mewar in princely India.