Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 16.djvu/770

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BAJATAKANGINI. 678 RAKE'S PROGRESS. is the chief ami direct source of information on the ancient history of Kashmir. The first tliree cantos, which deal with the two first dynas- ties, are almost wholly legendary. Kashmir was always closely connected with the Hindu king- doms' to the south, so that Kalhana"s work is important authority for the history of India as a whole. Incidentally the Riijaturiu'iijini throws much light on the social, political, and religious conditions of India of the twelfth century. Stein published a critical edition of the text at Bombay in 1802, and a translation in two volumes, with an introduction, commentary, and appendices, at Westminster in 1000. RAJENDRALALA MITRA, ra-jen'drala'la me'tra. Raja (1824-01). An Indian Orientalist, born near Calcutta. He early devoted himself to historical and philological research, became libra- rian of the Bengal Asiatic Society in 1846, its vice-president (1861-85), and its president in 1S85. To the Journal of the society he con- tributed many valuable papers. But he was bet- ter known for his Antiquities of Orissa (18~o) ; Buddha Giii/u (1S7S) ; Jiido-An/a.is (1881) ; and the Hansl;rit Buddhist Literature of ^'epul (1882), in which he showed especial skill in deducing history from artistic and architectural remains. RAJKOT, raj'kOt'. A town and railway sta- tion, capital of a Gujarat native State of the same name, on the Kathiawar Peninsula, Bom- bay, India, 110 miles west of Cambay. It has several educational institutions, including a Rajkumar college for native princes; and there is a bridge of some merit spanning the Aji River. A military cantonment is located here. Popula- tion, with cantonment, in 1801, 20,247; in 1901, 36,151. RAJNA, rl'na, Pio (1847—). An Italian philologist, born at Sondrio, and educated at Pisa. He taught in lieei at ilodena and Milan, and in 1883 became professor of Romance phil- ology at the Florence School for Higher Studies. He published Riecrche intorno ai Reali di Fraii- cia (1872); Le fonti dell' Orlando Furioso (1876); Le origini dell' epopea francese (1884, winning the Diez Prize) ; and critical editions of Dante's De Vulgari Eloquent ia (1806 and 1807, under the supervision of the Societa Dantesca Italiana ) . RAJON, ra'zhox', P.ail Adolphe (1844-88). A French etcher, born in Dijon. He was a pupil at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, and of Pils. He executed a large number of etchings from pictures in a careful and sympathetic manner. They in- clude the notable portraits of .J. S. Jlill, Tenny- son, Joachim, and ilrs. Anderson Rose, after Watts; Darwin, after Ouless; and the Emperor Claudius, after Alma-Tadema, He received medals at the Salons of 1869, 1870, and 1873. Consult Stephens, Twelve Etehings by P. A. Rajoii. with a memoir (1889). RAJPUTANA, raj'pofi-tii'na. A division of British India consisting wholly of native States with the exception of the small enclave of Ajniere- Merwara (q.v.), which is under British admin- istration (Map: India, B 3). The division is bounded on the north by the Punjab, on the east by the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, on the southeast by the Central India Agency, and on the southwest and west by Bombay. Its total area is 127,541 square miles, or twice the size of New England. Rajputana is divided into two distinct pliysical divisions by the Aravalli Range, which crosses it from southwest to north- east. The northwestern and much the larger part consists of sandy and arid wastes. It in- cludes the Tar, or Great Desert of Northern India. The southeastern portion is much more elevated and watered by numerous streams flowing cliiefly to the Jumna, the largest being the Chambal, or > Chumbul. It contains large fertile tracts, but consists principally of rugged and rocky coun- try covered with jungle. The climate in the main portion is very hot and dry, and the rainfall scanty and irregular. Agriculture, including herding, is the principal occupation. Pulse, cereals, cotton, and other fibres are grown. The status of agriculture varies greatly with varying climatic conditions. The scant rainfall over the larger portion of the region renders the industry precarious, and there is liability to famines. Some commerce is carried on with the surrounding regions. A railroad traverses Rajputana from northeast to southwest. Branch lines have been constructed by the agen- cies of Bikanir, Jodhpur, and Tdaipur. The total population in 1901 was 9,723,301, the famines having caused a decrease of 2,207,203 during the preceding decade. The population is composed mainly of Hindus, of whom there were 8,090,- 269 in 1901. The Mohammedans numbered 924,- 650; the Animistics, 360,543; Jains, 342,595. The Christian religion has probably made less progress here than in any other portion of India, there having been in 1901 only 2840 Christians. Among the principal Rajput States are Bikanir, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Alwar, Bhartpur, Jaisalmir, Udaipur, and Kotah. The most important city is Jaipur. Each of the 19 States which compose Rajputana has an autonomous government under its own chief. While the Rajput elans represent a very small minority of the population, the chiefs" of sixteen of the States are of that tribe. The chiefs in two of the other States are Jats, and the head of the third is a Mohammedan. The whole is under British suzerainty. RAJPUTS, raj-poots' (Hind. Rajput, from Skt. rujaputra, prince, from rajan, king + puira, son). The Rajputs, from whom Rajputana, in' North-Central India, has received its name, num- ber some 11,000.000. The name is an honorary one applied to a congeries of tribes and castes of diverse origin and customs. The Rajputs were originally the feudal conquerors of Western Hin- distan. " Despite their claim to be descendants of the ancient Hindu Kshatriya caste (see Caste), it is doubtful whether their Brahman- ism is not, like other of their mental and physi- cal qualities, a transferred character. The chief seat of the Rajputs is Rajputana, but they are also numerous in CJujarat, and were formerly powerful in Lower Sindh. Consult Croolce, Tribes and Castes of the yorthuest Provinces and Oudh (Calcutta, 1896). RAJSHAHI, raj-sh-i'he. A division of Ben- gal, British India, having an area of 17,356 square miles. It is divided into seven dis- tricts: Rajshahi. Dinajpur, .Jalpaiguri, Darjiling, Raniipur, Bogra, Pabna. Population, in 1891, 7.720,701: in 1901, 8,489,788. RAKE'S PROGRESS, The. A .series of eight paintings by Hogarth (1735), now in the ,