History of Kanauj to the Moslem Conquest c12.s4.22

c12.s4.22

XI. Rājasthānīya, literally it denotes an officer who had to deal with other Rājasthānas or kingdoms, i.e., Foreign Secretary¹. A better meaning would be a Viceroy or Governor, since in the Mandasor inscription (Fleet, C. I. I., No. 35) the term “Rājasthāna” is used in the sense of a province. The explanation of the word in the Lokaprakāśa (iv), as given by Bühler, is : “Prajā pālanārtham-udvahati rakṣayati ca sa rājasthānīyaḥ,” i.e., “He, who carries out the object of protecting subjects and shelters them, is called a Rājasthānīya.”² From this description it is clear that this office must have been an important one and invested with considerable authority. It is, however, curious that in the Maliya grant of Dharasena II (Fleet’s No. 38) and in the Deo-Baranārk inscription (No. 42) the Rājasthānīya is mentioned rather low down in the list of officials.