Alha

Statue of Alha riding on a horse with one of his hands up and his horse galloping.

Statue of Alha riding on a horse

Alha (ISO: Ālhā) was a legendary general of the Chandel king Paramardideva (also known as Parmal), who fought Prithviraj Chauhan in 1182 CE. He is one of the main characters of the Alha-Khand ballad.

Origin

According to the legend, Alha and Udal were children of the Dasraj, a successful commander in the army of Chandel king Parmal. They belonged to the Banaphar clan, which are of mixed Ahir and Rajput descent,Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Purana states that Mahil a Rajput and an enemy of Alha and Udal said that Alha has come to be of a different family (kule htnatvamagatah) because his mother is an Aryan Ahir.Template:Sfn

The Bhavishya Purana, a Sanskrit text, states that Alha's mother was called Devaki and was a member of the Ahir caste. The Ahirs are among the "oldest pastoralists" and were rulers of Mahoba.Template:Sfn

Folklore

In addition to the Aalha Khand and the Bhavishya Purana, the story of Alha is also found in a number of medieval manuscripts of the Prithviraj Raso. There is also a belief that the story was originally written by Jagnik, bard of Mahoba, but no manuscript has been found. Template:Sfn

Notes

References

South Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka Special -Reference{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Taylor & Francis(2003). ISBN 978-0-415-93919-5
Fractured Forest, Quartzite City A History of Delhi and Its Ridge{{#if:Crowley|, Crowley}. SAGE Publications(2020). ISBN 9789353885564
Rethinking India's oral and classical epics: Draupadī among Rajputs, Muslims, and Dalits{{#if:Hiltebeitel|, Hiltebeitel}. University of Chicago Press(1999). ISBN 9780226340500
When the Goddess was a Woman Mahābhārata Ethnographies : Essays{{#if:Hiltebeitel|, Hiltebeitel}. University of Chicago Press(2009). ISBN 9789004193802
The Secret Life of Another Indian Nationalism Transitions from the Pax Britannica to the Pax Americana{{#if:Mayaram|, Mayaram}. Cambridge University Press(2022). ISBN 9781108832571
The Last Hindu Emperor: Prithviraj Cauhan and the Indian Past, 1200–2000{{#if:Talbot|, Talbot}. Cambridge University Press(2016). ISBN 9781107118560

External links

Alhakhand{{#if:Mishra|, Mishra}. Tejkumar Book Depot (Pvt) Ltd(2007)