Indian Fairy Tales · Chapter
XIX: Raja Rasalu explained
This chapter presents the legend of Raja Rasalu, a possibly historical figure from the eighth or ninth century, focusing on his adventures and the game of Chaupur, which is sometimes considered the origin of chess.
What happens
This chapter presents the legend of Raja Rasalu, a possibly historical figure from the eighth or ninth century, focusing on his adventures and the game of Chaupur, which is sometimes considered the origin of chess. The narrative includes gambling for life, a motif found in Celtic and other folktales, and notes that the full story continues with Kokilan marrying Raja Rasalu and a tragic conclusion involving a lover's heart, paralleling tales like the Decameron and the Tristan cycle.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Destiny
The tragic love story of Kokilan and Raja Rasalu, involving a lover's heart and a fatal leap, echoes themes of love and destiny found in the Decameron and Tristan cycle.
Cultural Transmission and Borrowing
The chapter discusses the Eastern origin of the romance and its transmission to the West, appearing in Anglo-Norman troubadour Thomas' Lai Guirun and becoming part of the Tristan cycle.
Characters to notice
- Raja Rasalu
Central figure of the legend, possibly a historic personage from the eighth or ninth century, associated with Sirikap ka-kila near Sialkot.
- Kokilan
Character who grows up and marries Raja Rasalu, leading to a tragic conclusion involving her lover's heart.
Key passages
“Chaupur, I should explain, is a game played by two players with eight men, each on a board in the shape of a cross, four men to each cross covered with squares.”
Chaupur is a two-player game using eight pieces per player on a cross-shaped board with squares, where moves are determined by throwing long dice.
Clarifies the nature of the game Chaupur.
“Gambling for life occurs in Celtic and other folktales; cf. my List of Incidents, s. V 'Gambling for Magic Objects.'”
The motif of gambling for one's life appears in Celtic and other folk traditions, as referenced in the List of Incidents under 'Gambling for Magic Objects.'
Highlights a cross-cultural motif in the story.