Basohlipaintings of the Pahari school
are stylistically closer to those of
Rajasthanthan to works in the later
Pahari style.
The Rajasthani was the earliest
developed school; it flourished in the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in
the small kingdoms of the Malwaregion
such as Mandu, and in the kingdoms
that now comprise regions in modern
Rajasthan—particularly Bundi, Kota,
and Mewar, but also Jaipur and
Bikaner. The Rajasthani style is gener-
ally characterized by a flat perspective
and by visual power derived from vivid
colors, bands of which often serve as a
backdrop to the painting. For further
information see W. G. Archer, Indian
Painting, 1957.
Rajasuya
Royal consecrationceremony that is
one of the most famous of the sacrificial
rites that appear in the Vedas, the earli-
est and most authoritative Hindu reli-
gious texts. The ceremony is believed to
have developed in the latter part of the
Vedic era. Preparations for this rite could
last for a year, and the rite itself served
to raise the king to semidivine status. As
with many Vedic sacrifices, an impor-
tant part of the rajasuya sacrificewas
the ritual slaughter and offeringof ani-
mals. This rite has long fallen into dis-
use, partly because of the trouble
required to prepare for it and partly
because of general disapproval over ani-
mal sacrifices. The coronation rite that
has replaced it is the rajabhiseka.
Rajatarangini
(“River of Kings”) Historical chronicle of
the kings of Kashmir, written in verse by
the Kashmiri poet Kalhana. The
Rajataranginiis an unusually descrip-
tive and accurate history of Kashmir and
the region’s political, social, and reli-
gious institutions; the text’s only short-
coming is that it pays little attention to
the outside world. Kalhana’s historical
emphasis is unusual for Indian writers,
and the Rajatarangini is one of the few
indigenous Indian histories.Rajendra I
(r. 1014–42) Monarch under whose rule
(and that of his father, Raja Raja) the
Chola dynastyreached the apex of its
power, stretching its influence from the
Tanjoreregion in Tamil Nadu, through-
out southern India, and into southeast
Asia all the way to Malaysia. In 1023
Rajendra defeated one of the kings of
Bengal to extend his empire all the way
to the Gangesbut was unable to main-
tain authority over this expansive
domain for long. He also fought a cam-
paign against the Shrivijaya Empire in
modern Malaysia, to retain control of
trade from China. Like his father,
Rajendra was a great patron of temple-
building and other public monuments,
including the great temple at Ganga-
ikondacholapuran, built to commemo-
rate the victory that opened the way to
the Ganges.Rajneesh, Bhagwan Shri
(b. Mohan Chandra Rajneesh, 1931–
1990) Controversial Hindu teacher who
mixed traditional Hindu teachings with
ideas gleaned from modern psychology.
He is most popularly associated with a
permissive attitude toward sexuality
that attracted many of his followers,
both Western and Indian, although the
former tended to predominate. This was
part of a more generally indulgent atti-
tude in which people were encouraged
to act upon their desires, as a way to
remove impediments to ultimate real-
ization. For some time his ashramwas
located in Pune in the state of
Maharashtra, but in 1981 he relocated
to southern Oregon, propelled by local
opposition and an investigation by
Indian tax officials. For several years the
new site was highly successful, but local
opposition to his teachings and unease
about his lifestyle—he reportedly owned
ninety-three Rolls-Royces and was pro-
tected by Uzi-toting bodyguards—Rajasuya