The publisher’s appeal

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The revised edition

By the grace of God, the second edition of the book entitled Rajput O Ugrakshatriya, the modest fruit of the devoted labours of the deeply respected Sri Haricharan Bandhu, is now offered to the public. About thirty years ago, in its first edition, he demonstrated the identity of Rajputs and Ugra Kshatriyas from ancient religious scriptures such as the Vedas and Upanishads and authoritative Jain texts such as the Kalpasutra. In the present edition, with the help of books and inscriptions published by the Bangiya Sahitya Parishad and the Varendra Anusandhan Samiti, he has shown that the Rajput Kshatriyas who came to Bengal in search of fortune and lived by warfare received agraharas in Rarh and gradually rose to the rank of subordinate rulers. Being powerful, courageous and skilled in war, they acquired the honourable designation “Ugrakshatriya-suta,” corresponding to the name “Ugraputra” found in the Vedas, Upanishads and other religious scriptures.

He has further shown that the Pala emperors arose from the Pala-titled “Ratnakar” family of Burdwan, one of these Ugra Kshatriya ruling families, and that the Sena kings arose from the Sena-titled Soma lineage. The evidence Sri Bandhu has collected in support of his subject, and his impartial discussion of the reasonableness of that evidence, will be particularly valued not only by the Ugra Kshatriya community but by every enquiring reader, especially future writers of Bengal’s history.

This book is the result of Sri Bandhu’s lifelong, untiring labour. So that it may be kept in every Ugra Kshatriya household like a household almanac—

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Memory, affordability and unity

—and so that, by reading it, every Ugra Kshatriya may become aware of past glory and regain self-possession, the price has been kept as low as possible.

Here we cannot avoid mentioning a sorrowful event, as though fate had mocked us. After reading the manuscript, the distinguished scholar, the late Amulyacharan Vidyabhushan, had of his own accord expressed a wish to write an introduction. His sudden, premature death has grieved us as deeply as the loss of a relative. May God grant perfect peace to his soul, wearied by its labours; and may the goodwill he bore us in this world descend from the next as a blessing upon our work. This alone is our prayer.

Finally, as the publisher of this book, my appeal to my fellow community members is this: the mutual hostility among our different ranks or sections, and the resulting lack of solidarity, cause me great pain. We have still not understood that this hostility is wholly opposed to the community’s progress and is another name for self-destruction. What could be more regrettable? I hope that this book compiled by Sri Bandhu will remedy the grievance I have described, unite the Ugra Kshatriyas once again, and keep alive in their hearts the self-respect befitting Kshatriyas.

On the auspicious Akshaya Tritiya. Calcutta, 27 Baishakh 1347. Respectfully, Sri Dwijendra Chandra Ray.