Udal is the name of a legendary 12th century general who appears in the Alha-Khand epic.[1] In the epic, Udal and his brother Alha serve in the army of the Chandela king Paramardi Deva (also known as Parmal or Parimal) of Mahoba. They belonged to the Banaphar clan, which are of Rajput and Ahir descent.[2][3]
According to the Alha-Khand, Udal was born after the death of his father Dassraj, who was also a general, and was killed in the service of king Paramardi. The king subsequently raised Udal as his own son.[4] The epic describes how Udal was killed while fighting the invading army of Rai Pithora, also known as Prithviraj Chauhan, in a large battle at Mahoba; while the content of the ballads has been embellished, the battle has been attested by stone inscriptions at Madanpur, and took place at some point in 1182-1183.[5]
- ^ Schomer, Karine (1990). "The "Ālhā" Epic in Contemporary Performance". The World of Music. 32 (2): 58–80. JSTOR 43561259.
- ^ Hiltebeitel, Alf (2009). Rethinking India's Oral and Classical Epics: Draupadi among Rajputs, Muslims, and Dalits. University of Chicago Press. p. 163. ISBN 978-0-226-34050-0.
Ūdal (and the rest of the Banāphars) is susceptible to "mean caste" slurs and slights because of his combined Kṣatriya (Rajput) and cowherd (Ahir) background.
- ^ Crowley, Thomas (7 September 2020). Fractured Forest, Quartzite City: A History of Delhi and its Ridge. p. 277. ISBN 9789353885564.
The Banaphars also identify themselves as Rajputs. Throughout this epic, though, they have various caste slurs hurled at them by higher-status Rajputs who claim that the Banaphar line is contaminated with the blood of Ahirs, a nomadic pastoral community.
- ^ Mishra, Pt. Lalita Prasad (2007). Alhakhand (in Hindi) (15 ed.). Lucknow (India): Tejkumar Book Depot (Pvt) Ltd. pp. 1–11 (History of Mahoba).
- ^ Mitra, Sisir Kumar (1977). The Early Rulers of Khajurāho. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 123. ISBN 9788120819979.