Kaviraj (or Rajkavi, Kaviraja) is a title of honor, which was given to
poets
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
and
litterateurs attached to royal courts in medieval India. Eminent
Charans who were inducted into the
royal courts due to their literary merit as royal
poets
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
and
historians
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...
were given the rank of Kaviraja (
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
of
Poets
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
). Such Charans assumed positions of great influence in the medieval
polity
A polity is an identifiable Politics, political entity – a group of people with a collective identity, who are organized by some form of Institutionalisation, institutionalized social relation, social relations, and have a capacity to mobilize ...
. Few well known people are
Kaviraja Shyamaldas,
Kaviraja Bankidas, etc.
The descendants of such persons also started using the
surname
In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community.
Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...
, Kaviraj.
The surname is usually found in people of
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
,
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 ...
, etc. One of the community where this surname is often found is
Charan
Charan ( IAST: Cāraṇ; Sanskrit: चारण; Gujarati: ચારણ; Urdu: ارڈ; IPA: cɑːrəɳə) is a caste in South Asia natively residing in the Rajasthan and Gujarat states of India, as well as the Sindh and Balochistan provinces ...
, who were the State poets & historians in the Rajput kingdoms of these regions.
Notable people
*
Kaviraja Bankidas Ashiya
Kaviraja Bankidas Ashiya (1771–1833) was a Rajasthani Language, Rajasthani poet and scholar. He was born in a Charan family of ''Ashiya'' lineage in the Indian state of Rajasthan.
He was born in 1771 (1828 Vikram Samvat). He has composed betwe ...
*
Krishnadasa Kaviraja
Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī ( bn, কৃষ্ণদাস কবিরাজ, Kṛṣṇôdas Kôviraj; born 1496; date of death unknown) was the author of the Caitanyacaritāmṛta, a biography on the life of the mystic and saint ...
*
Kaviraj Shyamaldas
Mahamahopadhayaya Kaviraja Shyamaldas Dadhivadia (1836-1893), popularly referred to as ''Kaviraja'' (Hindi:king of poets) Shyamaldas was one of the early writers involved in documenting the history and culture of the Rajasthan region of India. ...
See also
*
Barhath
*
Gadhavi
*
Rashtrakavi (disambiguation)
*
Yug Charan
Yug Charan ( IAST: Yuga Chāraṇa; Sanskrit: ) is an Indian title meaning ‘Charan of the Era’ for poets and litterateurs whose vivacious writings voice the nationalistic aspirations of the country. It may refer to:
Literature
* ''Yuga Ch ...
*
Poet Laurette
*
Kabiraj
Kabiraj ( bn, কবিরাজ, Kobiraj ; as, কবিৰাজ; or, କବିରାଜ; Magahi: कबिराज; ) is an occupational title found in persons of Eastern Indian subcontinent. In olden days people traditionally practising Ayu ...
References
{{Reflist
Surnames
Indian surnames
Indian words and phrases
Titles in India
Men's social titles
Cultural history of India
Linguistic history of India
Charan