Kaviraja Muraridan

Mahamahopadhyaya Kaviraja Muraridan Ashiya (1830 — 1914) served as the Dewan (Prime Minister) of Marwar during the reign of Jaswant Singh II (1873–1895). Kaviraja is remembered as an astute politician and a farsighted administrator, who made significant contributions to the history of Marwar. He was a Tazimi sardar (noble) and a renowned scholar, known for his prominent works including Yaśavaṃta-Yaśo-Bhūṣaṇa and Tawarikh Marwar.

Early life and family Kaviraja Muraridan was born in 1830 into the prominent family of Bhandiyawas. His father, Kaviraja Bharatdan, and grandfather, Kaviraja Bankidas, were renowned scholars-historians and administrators of the kingdom of Marwar.

During his childhood, Muraridan learned bhasha-sahitya and Dingal from his father Bharatdan, Yati Jnanchandra taught him Sanskrit.

He also played a leading part in passing a set of laws Morishala (named after him), a type of the doctrine of lapse. According to these laws, the Jagir could not pass, by adoption or otherwise, to a person other than the progeny of the original grantee. Although he faced criticism for this act, it was viewed as a progressive move in terms of maintaining the stability of the jagir system.

In addition to his political career, Kaviraja Muraridan also had an interest in education. He was one of the pioneers of the first school at Jodhpur, Gyananandi Pathshah, which was opened on 1 April 1897, with fifteen pupils. The pioneers of the school also started a Hindi weekly named Marudharmint, which was printed in the lithographic press attached to it.

Estate Aside from his ancestral sasan of Bhandiyawas, Kaviraja Muraridan also held the jagir of Luni. In 1894, Kaviraj Muraridan built an exquisite fortified haveli which is now famously known as Fort Chanwa.

During the reign of Jaswant Singh II, besides the revenue from his jagir, he was assigned an annual salary of Rs. 8,400. Jasavaṃtabhūṣaṇa, a summary of Yaśavaṃta-Yaśo-Bhūṣaṇa (जसवंतभूषण) Tawarikh Marwar (तवारीख़ मारवाड़) Saṃkṣipta Cāraṇa Khyāti (संक्षिप्त चारण ख्याति) Bar̥ī Cāraṇa Khyāti (बड़ी चारण ख्याति) Saradāraprakāśikā (सरदारप्रकाशिका) Ātmanirṇaya (Vedant) (आत्मनिर्णय (वेदांत)) A Commentary on Bihari Satsai (Bihārī Satasaī Tīkā) A Treatise on Nāyikā Bheda

Yaśavaṃta-Yaśo-Bhūṣaṇa This is a voluminous text, an exceptional modern treatise on alankāras, the essence of which is 'Jasavaṃtabhūṣaṇa ' and has also been printed in Sanskrit translation. Kaviraja has considered the names of the alankāras as their characteristics (lakṣaṇa). Imagining the characteristic just from the name is the specialty of this text. Just as in the Chitramimamsa, where Appayya Dikshita has established all the alankāras as types of similes, similarly Kaviraja has defined the alankāras based on the meaning of their names without creating separate characteristics for them. By examining on the opinions of the ancients, he has counted the alankāras that come under the meaning of the word in that alankāra's category.

Muraridan ri Khyat Aside from the above listed texts, one ' Muraridan ri Khyat''' of unknown authorship is named after him which was discovered in the inner compartment of the walls in Jodhpur city, hidden before the occupation of Jodhpur by Mughals after the death of Jaswant Singh I in 1678. Kaviraja recognized its importance and had it copied out in bahis and stored in his collection.