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39-522: Some portions of the poem are now lost. Besides Prithviraja's biography, the poem also gives an account of his ancestors. The only known manuscript of Prithviraja Vijaya is a birch bark manuscript written in Sharada script . It was discovered by Georg Bühler in 1875, when he was searching for Sanskrit manuscripts in Kashmir . The manuscript is highly mutilated, and several parts of the text (including

78-655: A topical medication with birch bark extract as its active ingredient . It is used to treat two types of epidermolysis bullosa , dystrophic and junctional, targeting partial-thickness skin wounds. Common side effects include wound complications, skin reactions, infections, itching, and allergic reactions. Filsuvez was approved in the European Union in June 2022 and in the United States in December 2023. It

117-401: A fire. Birch bark was a valuable construction material in any part of the world where birch trees were available. Containers such as wrappings, bags, baskets , boxes , or quivers were made by most societies well before pottery was invented . Other uses include: Birch bark also makes an outstanding tinder , as the inner layers will stay dry even through heavy rainstorms. Filsuvez is

156-507: A native of Ajmer, and a friend and guide of the author. The poem then praises the king, Prithviraja III , who greatly honoured the poet. It mentions that Prithviraja had shown a promise of future greatness during his childhood. It also mentions that the king was proficient in six languages. Next, the poem describes Pushkar , the place of the poet's residence, and a town near the Chahamana capital Ajmer . It states that Ajagandha Mahadeva,

195-460: A temple dedicated to Shiva , was located at Pushkar. In the poem, Brahma tells Vishnu that originally, there were three yajna -kunda s (sacrificial fire pits) at the site, which eventually became lakes. Brahma requests Vishnu to take birth on the earth to "rectify the Muslim desecration of Pushkar", and as a result Prithviraja - whom the text identifies as a form of Vishnu - is born. Chahamana,

234-639: A tether for the wick, but also a seal on the bottom of the candle to prevent the wick from wicking water and extinguishing the flame. Wicks can be made of material other than string or cord, such as wood and (historically) even asbestos , although they are rare. The 17th century rushlight and rush candles also uses rush-pith. The cotton of tampons can be used as wicks for oil lamps in wilderness survival situations. Wicked candles initially started to be used by ancient Egyptians in 3000 B.C. Wicked candles were assumed to be made by waxes from available plants and animals in this time period. During this time,

273-437: A valuable building, crafting, and writing material , since pre-historic times. Today, birch bark remains a popular type of wood for various handicrafts and arts. Birch bark also contains substances of medicinal and chemical interest. Some of those products (such as betulin ) also have fungicidal properties that help preserve bark artifacts, as well as food preserved in bark containers. Removing birch bark from live trees

312-492: Is considered a first-in-class medication by the US Food and Drug Administration. Candle wick A candle wick or lamp wick is usually made of braided cotton that holds the flame of a candle or oil lamp . A candle wick works by capillary action , conveying ("wicking") the fuel to the flame. When the liquid fuel, typically melted candle wax , reaches the flame it then vaporizes and combusts . In other words,

351-503: Is harmful to tree health and should be avoided. Instead, it can be removed fairly easily from the trunk or branches of dead wood, by cutting a slit lengthwise through the bark and pulling or prying it away from the wood. The best time for collection is spring or early summer, as the bark is of better quality and most easily removed. Removing the outer (light) layer of bark from the trunk of a living tree may not kill it, but probably weakens it and makes it more prone to infections . Removal of

390-550: The Chahamana dynasty given in the text is nearly same as the one provided by the 1170 CE Bijolia inscription. There are only minor differences; for example, the Bijolia inscription has: Sarda called Prithviraja Vijaya the most reliable literary work on the early history of the dynasty. Historian E. Sreedharan, on the other hand, described the text "an outrageous distortion of history" for its " Ramayanaization ". He criticized

429-574: The Magha month. Vigraharaja IV died a happy man after hearing that the earth had been blessed with the two sons of his brother. The phrase "the friend of poets" disappeared with his death. His unmarried son Aparagangeya also died. Prithvibhata , the son of Sudhava's eldest son, also departed, as if to bring back Vigraharaja. The males were dropping like pearls from the line of Sudhava. Lakshmi (the goddess of fortune) left Sudhava's lineage, and wished to see Someshvara (Prithviraja's father). Therefore,

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468-456: The first Battle of Tarain , but does not cover his defeat in the second battle . This indicates that it was most probably written during 1191-1192 CE, in the period between the two battles. Thus, Prithviraja Vijaya is the only extant literary text from the reign of Prithviraja. The first canto praises the ancient poets Valmiki , Vyasa and Bhasa . It also mentions the contemporary poets Krishna and Vishvaroopa. The poem eulogizes Vishvaroopa,

507-446: The 12th day of the jyeshtha month. It states the planetary positions at the time of his birth, although some portions are missing from the only available manuscript. The birth of Prithviraja was celebrated with many festivities. A wet nurse was appointed for his care. To protect him, a tiger's claw and images of Vishnu's ten incarnations were attached to his necklace. The queen became pregnant again, and gave birth to Hariraja in

546-461: The Chahamana capital. Rajas (feudatory kings) took shelter in their fortresses in his fear. When he captured Naddula , Prithviraja became angry and vowed to subdue him. Prithviraja's minister Kadamba-Vasa advised him not to get angry and not to fight with Ghori. He said that the enemies will destroy themselves, just like Sunda and Upasunda ruined themselves over Tilottama . Just then, a messenger from Gujarat arrived and informed Prithviraja that

585-473: The Chahamana ministers brought Someshvara to Sapadalaksha (the Chahamana country). Someshvara and Karpura-devi came to Ajayameru with their two sons, Prithviraja and Hariraja. Someshvara became the new Chahamana king, and established a new town where the palaces of Vigraharaja were located. He named this new town after his father Arnoraja, to remove the blot left by killing of Arnoraja by his eldest son. In Ajayameru, Vigraharaja had constructed as many temples as

624-550: The Chinese were using rice paper to create wicks and made wax out of insects and seeds. Stiffeners are used to direct the wick to remaining upright so that fuel can get to the flame. This provides two advantages: it makes the wick more rigid, letting it stand further out of the liquid wax, and it conducts heat downward, melting the wax more readily. The latter is particularly important in candles made of harder wax. Stiffeners were once made of lead , but these have been banned in

663-739: The US for several years by the Consumer Product Safety Commission , due to the concerns about lead poisoning . Fine wire (such as copper) can be included in the wick. Other core stiffeners, such as paper and synthetic fibers, may also be used. The CPSC was petitioned to ban candle wicks containing lead cores and candles with such wicks by Public Citizen, the National Apartment Association, and National Multi Housing Council on February 20, 2001. The ban against manufacturing, importing, or selling candles in

702-465: The US with lead wicks became effective in October 2003. Virtually all wicks are treated with various flame-resistant solutions in a process known as mordanting. Without mordanting the wick would be destroyed by the flames and the flow of melted wax to the flame would cease. Beyond that, wicks can be treated with substances to improve the color and brightness of the flame, provide better rigidity to keep

741-515: The author's name) are missing from it. Although the author's name is missing from the manuscript, Har Bilas Sarda theorized that the text was composed by Jayanaka, who was a court-poet of Prithviraja . This theory is based on the following points: The poem is quoted by the Kashmiri scholar Jayaratha in his Vimarshini (c. 1200 CE), so it was definitely composed before this date. The poem mentions Prithviraja's victory over Muhammad of Ghor in

780-667: The early Chahamana rulers: Arnoraja defeated the Muslim invaders, many of whom were killed by the heroes of Ajayameru. To celebrate the victory, the king commissioned a lake , and filled it with the water of the Chandra river (now called Bandi river). He also built a Shiva temple, and named it after his father Ajayaraja (now called the Ajaypal Temple). Arnoraja had two wives: Sudhava of Avichi ( Marwar ), and Kanchanadevi (the daughter of Jayasimha Siddharaja of Gujarat). Arnoraja and Sudhava had three sons, who were as different as

819-426: The former king Vigraharaja) who the reciter is. Padmanabha introduced the reciter as Jayanaka, a great poet-scholar from Kashmir, the seat of learning. Jayanaka explained that he came from Kashmir to Ajayameru, because the goddess of learning had asked him to serve the incarnation of Vishnu : Prithviraja. The only extant manuscript of the text ends abruptly in the twelfth chapter. It is thus incomplete, but it mentions

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858-524: The fort. He brought Nagarjuna's wife and mother to Ajmer, and placed the heads of his enemies on the Ajmer fort's battlements. A beef-eating mlechchha named Ghori had captured Garjani in the North-West, where horses abound. His envoy was a bald man with the complexion of a leper , and spoke like wild birds. When he heard that Prithviraja had vowed to destroy the mlechchhas, he sent an ambassador to

897-409: The founder of Prithviraja's dynasty, emerged from the orbit of the sun. He was thus a member of the legendary solar dynasty . His brother Dhananjaya served as his commander-in-chief. King Vasudeva was born in Chahamana's lineage. During a hunting expedition in a forest, Vasudeva found a magic pill and restored it to its owner, a vidyadhara (supernatural being). The pleased vidyadhara told him that

936-478: The goddess Parvati resided in the forest under the name Shakambhari . He also magically conjured up a salt lake (the Sambhar Salt Lake ). He told Vasudeva that this lake would always remain in the possession of the king's family, protected by Shakambhari and Ashapuri (the king's family deity ). A genealogy of Prithviraja's ancestors is given: The canto also briefly describes the reigns of some of

975-574: The hill forts he had conquered. In the middle of these temples, Someshvara erected the Vaidyanath (Shiva) temple, which was taller than all of Vigraharaja's temples. He installed images of Brahma , Vishnu and Shiva in this temple. He also placed effigies of his father and himself riding horses in the temple premises. Just like Meru had five Kalpavrikshas , Someshvara built five temples in Ajayameru. He built so many temples at other places, that

1014-513: The inner (dark) layer, the phloem , kills the tree by preventing the flow of sap to the roots . To prevent it from rolling up during storage, the bark should be spread open and kept pressed flat. Birch bark can be cut with a sharp knife , and worked like cardboard. For sharp bending, the fold should be scored (scratched) first with a blunt stylus . Fresh bark can be worked as is; bark that has dried up (before or after collection) should be softened by steaming, by soaking in warm water, or over

1053-437: The introduction of these wicks specialty scissors were used to trim the excess wick without extinguishing the flame. Large diameter wicks typically result in a larger flame, a larger pool of melted wax, and the candle burning faster. In tealights , the wick is tethered to a piece of metal to stop it from floating to the top of the molten wax and burning before the wax does. Candles designed to float in water require not only

1092-463: The king of Gujarat had defeated Ghori's forces. Prithvibhatta, the chief of the poets, praised Kadambavasa as Ghori had been defeated without any effort from the Chahamana side. He then narrated the story of Tilottama. Prithviraja dismissed the messenger after bestowing gifts upon him. Prithviraja then visited his gallery, where Prithvbhatta showed him illustrations from the Ramayana , and narrated

1131-440: The king's deeds in his previous birth as Rama . The king then saw a portrait of Tilottama, and Kamadeva (the god of love) overpowered him. Prithviraja began to long for Tilottama, and left the gallery at noon, wounded by the arrows of Kamadeva. As Prithviraja came out of the gallery, he heard someone reciting a verse. The verse declared that a person who strives to get something gets it. Prithviraja asked Padmanabha (a minister of

1170-687: The legendary divine hero Rama . Therefore, Jayasimha took Someshvara to his own court in Gujarat. The poem then describes the legendary lunar dynasty , including Soma , Budha , Paurava and Bharata as its members. A portion of the manuscript is missing after these verses. Next, the poem describes the legendary king Kartavirya , and states that the Kalachuris of Tripuri (the family of Prithviraja's mother) were descended from him through one Sahasikh ("courageous"). The poem states that Jayasimha Siddharaja (the maternal grandfather of Prithviraja III)

1209-462: The population of city of gods declined. Someshvara appointed the Queen to protect his young son, and then departed to be with his father in the heaven . All his predecessors, from Chahamana to Prithvibhata came to welcome him, except Arnoraja's eldest son, who was hiding in the hell . During Karpura-devi's regency, the (Ajayameru) city was so densely populated and had so many man-made structures that

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1248-612: The sun was not able to see more than a tenth of the land. Prithviraja's minister Kadamba-Vasa served him as Hanuman served Rama . He sent the armies in all the directions to add to the glory of the young king. All branches of learning united and came to Prithviraja, and he became knowledgeable about all the arts and sciences that a king should be proficient in. Kamadeva took service with him to learn archery, and to stop living in fear of Shiva . Prithviraja and his brother Hariraja were like Rama and Lakshmana . Prithviraja's maternal relative Bhuvanaika-Malla came to him to find out how he

1287-516: The text for its characterization of Prithviraja as the divine incarnation of Rama. According to historian R. B. Singh of Gorakhpur University , the text "suffers from literary embellishments", but "its contents find full confirmation from the epigraphic evidence". Birch bark Birch bark or birchbark is the bark of several Eurasian and North American birch trees of the genus Betula . The strong and water-resistant cardboard-like bark can be easily cut, bent, and sewn, which has made it

1326-477: The three gunas (qualities). Of these, Vigraharaja IV was like the sattva guna (good qualities). The eldest son ( Jagaddeva , not named in the text) rendered the same service to Arnoraja as Bhrigu's son did to his mother (that is, killed his parent). This son went out like a wick , leaving behind an evil smell. Someshvara was the son of Arnoraja and Kanchandevi. Astrologers predicted that Someshvara's son (that is, Prithviraja III) would be an incarnation of

1365-406: The victory of Prithviraja over Ghori in the first Battle of Tarain . Having been written at the court of Prithviraja, the text is one of the most important sources of information about the Chahamana dynasty. According to Har Bilas Sarda , the historical accuracy of the poem's narrative is supported by historical inscriptions, as well as Jonaraja 's commentary on it. For example, the genealogy of

1404-481: The welfare of his people. When Prithviraja became an adult, many princesses expressed their desire to marry him. His good fortune also presented him with many opportunities to wage wars. When Vigraharaja's son Nagarjuna conquered Gudapura, Prithviraja led an army against him and besieged the Gudapura fort. Nagarjuna relinquished the duty of a warrior, and fled from the fort. Prithviraja killed his warriors and captured

1443-410: The wick brings the liquified wax up into the flame to burn. The candle wick influences how the candle burns. Important characteristics of the wick include diameter, stiffness, fire-resistance, and tethering. Wicks are sometimes braided flat, so that as they burn they also curl back into the flame, thus making them self-consuming. The wick sizes determine the amount fuel brought into the flame. Prior to

1482-521: Was able to protect the earth with only two arms. Bhuvanaika-Malla was an audacious warrior, and gave away all his wealth in charity. He wanted to raid the South , but decided against doing that because the respected sage Agastya lived there. An incarnation of Garuda , he served the two brothers loyally, and subdued the Nagas. With support of Kadamba-Vasa and Bhuvanaika-Malla, Prithviraja did many things for

1521-406: Was an incarnation of Shiva 's devotee Kumbodhar. His successor Kumarapala (literally "protector of a child") kept a young Someshvara close to himself, and thus became worthy of his name. When Someshvara grew up, he beheaded the king of Konkana during Kumarapala's invasion of that region. Someshvara married Karpura-devi, the princess of Tripuri . The text then states that Prithviraja was born on

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