Gaurishankar Hirachand Ojha (15 September, 1863– 17 April, 1947), born in
Rohida
Rohida is a historic village situated in Sirohi district of Indian state of Rajasthan.
The village is known for Audichya Rodwal Brahman Community residing there.
The Maharaja of Sirohi State has provided the land to the Rodwal Brahmins.
Rohida h ...
village of
Sirohi District
Sirohi District is a district of Rajasthan state in western India. The city of Sirohi is the district headquarters.
As of 2011 it is the third least populous district of Rajasthan (out of 33), after Jaisalmer and Pratapgarh.
History
In 1948 ...
, was a historian from the Indian state of
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
. A prolific author, he wrote several books ( in
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
) on the history of Rajasthan and other historical subjects. Subsequent historians from Rajasthan have referred to him as ''Guruvara
Mahamahopadhyaya
Mahamahopadhyaya (Sanskrit: महामहोपाध्याय) is an honorific title given to prestigious scholars by the Government of India. Prior to 1947, the title was bestowed by the British Raj, and before them, by the kings of ancient ...
'' (e.g.
Dasharatha Sharma
Dasharatha Sharma (1903–1976) was an Indologist with particular interest in the history of the Rajasthan region of India. Born in the Rajasthani city of Churu, he studied in the city of Bikaner and at the University of Delhi. He had degrees ...
in ''Early Chauhan Dynasties''). Ojha regarded ''Kaviraj'' Shyamaldas as his ''guru'' and worked under him as assistant secretary of the historical department,
Udaipur
Udaipur () (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura''), historically named as Udayapura, is a city and municipal corporation in Udaipur district of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarter of Udaipur district. It is the historic capit ...
Early life and education
Dr. Ojha was born in a Audichya Brahmins family, his father's name was Hirachand Ojha. His primary education was completed at his home and then he moved to Bombay for further education, where he learnt about Scripts, Archaeology and History. Thereafter, he came to
Udaipur
Udaipur () (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura''), historically named as Udayapura, is a city and municipal corporation in Udaipur district of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarter of Udaipur district. It is the historic capit ...
, where
Maharana Fateh Singh
Maharana Sir Fateh Singh (16 December 1849 – 24 May 1930), ruled Mewar for 46 years from 1884 to 1930, with Udaipur as capital, and resided in the City Palace, Udaipur.#Gu, Gupta, p. 256
Biography
He was born on 16 December 1849 at Shivr ...
appointed him as Head of State Archaeological Department.
In 1908, Dr. Ojha was appointed as Head of Rajputana Museum, Ajmer. He worked on this post for 38 years.
Authorship
In 1894, Dr. Ojha published his ''Bharatiya Prachin Lipimala'' (the first book devoted to the palæography of India), a revised edition was published in 1918. Dr. Ojha penned '' Solankiyon ka Itihasa'' (''History of the Solanki'') in 1907 and ''
Sirohi
Sirohi is a city, located in Sirohi district in southern Rajasthan state in western India. It is the administrative headquarters of Sirohi District and was formerly the capital of the princely state of Sirohi ruled by Deora Chauhan Rajput rul ...
Rajya ka Itihasa'' (''History: Kingdom of Sirohi'') in 1911. In 1926, Ojha published the first book of his History of
Rajputana
Rājputana, meaning "Land of the Rajputs", was a region in the Indian subcontinent that included mainly the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan, as well as parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and some adjoining areas of Sindh in modern-day ...
series. Histories of the
princely state
A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Raj, British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, ...
s of
Udaipur
Udaipur () (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura''), historically named as Udayapura, is a city and municipal corporation in Udaipur district of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarter of Udaipur district. It is the historic capit ...
,
Jodhpur
Jodhpur (; ) is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan and officially the second metropolitan city of the state. It was formerly the seat of the princely state of Jodhpur State. Jodhpur was historically the capital of the Ki ...
,
Bikaner
Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. Bikaner city is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division.
Formerly the capital of ...
,
Dungarpur
Dungarpur is a city in the southernmost part of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Dungarpur District. It is the fastest developing town in the southern part of Rajasthan, alongside Aspur ''tehsil''.
History
Dungarpu ...
,
Banswara
Banswara is a city in the Banswara district in southern Rajasthan, India. The name, Banswara, came from "Bans wala" (bamboo) forests, as Bamboo grew in abundance around this place within the area.
Banswara is also known as "City of a Hundred ...
released over a twelve-year period (1929–1941). Ojha also wrote a biography of
James Tod
Lieutenant-Colonel James Tod (20 March 1782 – 18 November 1835) was an officer of the British East India Company and an Oriental scholar. He combined his official role and his amateur interests to create a series of works about the hist ...
titled ''Supraprasiddha itihaskara Karnala James Tod ka jivan charitra''. A 1928 lecture series at the Hindustani Akademi,
Allahabad
Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the administrat ...
was published as '' Madhyakalina Bharatiya Sanskriti'' and later translated into
Books on history of Rajasthan and constituent kingdoms
*''Banswara Rajya ka Itihasa'' ( History: Kingdom of Banswara). First published 1937. Publisher: Rajasthani Granthaghar, Jodhpur 1998.
*''Bikaner Rajya Ka Itihasa'' ( History: Kingdom of Bikaner), First published 1937. Publisher: Rajasthani Granthaghar, Jodhpur 2007. (Vol I) (Vol II).
*''Dungarpur Rajya ka Itihasa'' (History: Kingdom of Dungarpur). First published 1936. Publisher: Rajasthani Granthaghar, Jodhpur 2000. .
*''Jodhpur Rajya ka Itihasa'' (History: Kingdom of Jodhpur). Publisher: Vaidika Yantralaya,
Ajmer
Ajmer is one of the major and oldest cities in the Indian state of Rajasthan and the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. It is located at the centre of Rajasthan. It is also known as heart of Rajasthan. The city was established as "' ...
1938.
*''
Marwar
Marwar (also called Jodhpur region) is a region of western Rajasthan state in North Western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. The word 'maru' is Sanskrit for desert. In Rajasthani languages, "wad" means a particular area. English tra ...
Rajya ka Itihasa'' ( History: Kingdom of Marwar),1938.
*''Pratapgarh Rajya ka Itihasa'' ( History: Kingdom of Pratapgarh). Publisher: Rajasthani Granthaghar, Jodhpur 2000. .
*''Rajputane ka Itihas'' ( History of Rajputana), Publisher: Vaidika Yantralaya, Ajmer 1927.
*''Sirohi Rajya ka Itihasa'' ( History: Kingdom of Sirohi ), 1911.
*''Solankiyon ka Pracin Itihas'' ( Early history of the Solanki). First published 1907. Publisher: Sabda Mahima Prakasan,
Jaipur
Jaipur (; Hindi Language, Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Rajasthan. , the city had a pop ...
, 1995.
*''Udaipur Rajya ka Itihasa'' (History: Kingdom of Udaipur). Publisher: Rajasthani Granthaghar, Jodhpur 1999–2006. (Vol I) (Vol II).
*''Vir-Siromani
Maharana Pratap
Pratap Singh I, popularly known as Maharana Pratap (c. 9 May 1540 – 19 January 1597), was a king of Mewar from the Sisodia dynasty. Pratap became a folk hero for his military resistance against the expansionism of the Mughal Empire under A ...
simha:Sacitra'' ( Exploits of Pratapsingh: Maharana of
Mewar
Mewar or Mewad is a region in the south-central part of Rajasthan state of India. It includes the present-day districts of Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Pirawa Tehsil of Jhalawar District of Rajasthan, Neemuch and Man ...
) First published 1928. Publisher Rajasthani Granthaghar, Jodhpur 1998. .
* ''Bharatiya Pracheen Lipimala'' Publisher: Publication Scheme, Jaipur 2008
Books on other subjects
*''Asokakalina dharmika abhilekha'' ( Religious inscriptions from the reign of
Ashoka
Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, ...
). G.H. Ojha and Shyam Sunder Das; Prastavana, V.K. Mathura. Publisher: Bharatiya Kala Prakashan, Delhi 2002 ( In
Prakrit
The Prakrits (; sa, prākṛta; psu, 𑀧𑀸𑀉𑀤, ; pka, ) are a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE. The term Prakrit is usu ...
, Sanskrit and Hindi ). .
*''Bharatiya Prachin Lipimala'' ( The palæography of India ). First published 1894. Publisher of 3rd edition Munshiram Manoharlal, New Delhi 1971.
*''Bharatiya Sahitya ki Ruparekha'' ( Outline of Indian Literature ). Publisher: Bharatiya Granthaghar,
Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
1956.
*''Madhyakalina Bharatiya Sanskriti'' ( Indian culture in the Middle Ages). Publisher: Hindustani Akademi, Allahabad, 1945.
*''Quarun-i Vusta men Hindustani Tahzib, sanah 600 se sanah 1100 tak'' ( Urdu translation of above listing ) Translated by
Prem Chand
Dhanpat Rai Srivastava (31 July 1880 – 8 October 1936), better known by his pen name Premchand (), was an Indian writer famous for his modern Hindustani literature. Premchand was a pioneer of Hindi and Urdu social fiction. He was one of ...
. Publisher: Hindustani Akademi,
Allahabad
Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the administrat ...
.
*'' Nagari Anka aur Akshara'' ( Evolution of Devnagari numerals and alphabet ). G.H. Ojha, Keshavdev Mishra. Tenth edition 1949. Publisher: Hindi Sahitya Sammelana,
Prayaga
Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the admini ...
2006.
*''Prachin Bharatiya Abhilekha'' ( Ancient Indian inscriptions ). Publisher: Bharatiya Kala Prakashan, Delhi 2006. .
*''Suprasiddha itihaskara Karnala
James Tod
Lieutenant-Colonel James Tod (20 March 1782 – 18 November 1835) was an officer of the British East India Company and an Oriental scholar. He combined his official role and his amateur interests to create a series of works about the hist ...
ka jivana charitra'' ( Biography of Col. James Tod ). Publisher: Rajasthani Granthaghar, Jodhpur 2002.
*''Ojha Nibandh Sangrah'' (Collection of Article)by publisher: Shabd Mahima Prakashan, Jaipur 2010. .
*''Muhonata Nainasi ki khyata''. Hindi translation by Ramanarayan Dugar. In 2 volumes. Editor Volume 2: G.H. Ojha. Publisher: Nagaripracharini Sabha, Kashi 1934.
*''Prachina Mudra'' ( Coins of ancient India) by Rakhal Das Banerji, translated by Ramchandra Varma. Editor G.H. Ojha. Publisher: Nagaripracharini Sabha, Varanasi 1992.
*''Prithvirajavijaya'' (Poem in
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
on ''Prithviraja'' III by ''Jayanaka'' in 12th century CE and commentary of ''Jonaraja''). Edited by G. H. Ojha and
Chandradhar Sharma Guleri
Chandradhar Sharma Guleri (7 July 1883 – 11 September 1922) was a writer and scholar of Hindi, Sanskrit, Prakrit and Pali from Jaipur, India. He was born in Jaipur and his father belongs to Guler village in Himachal Pradesh hence "Guleri" at t ...
. First published 1941. Publisher: Rajasthani Granthaghar, Jodhpur 1997.
Edited commemorative volume
*''Koshotsava Smaraka Sangraha''. Collection of articles on Hindi language and literature to mark completion of Hindi ''shabdkosh'' (dictionary). Dedicated to the memory of Shyam Sundar Das. First published 1927. Editor: G.H. Ojha. Publisher: Nagari Pracharini Sabha,
Varanasi
Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.
*
*
*
* The city has a syncretic t ...