Raja Rasalu

Depiction of Raja Rasalu from a qissa

Raja Rasalu is a fictional character and protagonist of the Adventures of Raja Rasalu, a Punjabi folktale. According to the story, he is son of Raja Sálbán, the king of Sialkot, and a younger brother of Puran Bhagat.[1]

Sources

The Adventures of the Panjáb Hero Rájá Rasálu, by Charles Swynnerton, 1884

The story of Raja Salban and his two sons, Puran and Rasalu, has been popular in Punjab for several centuries. However, the earliest tales were written down in the 19th century, and display visible Islamic influences. They were first published by Charles Rev Swynnerton in his 1884 book "The Adventures of the Panjáb Hero Rájá Rasálu: And Other Folk-tales of the Panjáb".[2] A slightly different version appears in Flora Annie Steel's "Tales of the Punjab: Told by the People" (1894).[3]

References

1. "Four Legends of King Rasalu of Sialkot". The Folk-Lore Journal. 1 (5): 129–151. 1883. doi:10.1080/17442524.1883.10602650. ISSN 1744-2524. JSTOR 1252821.
2. Dundes, Alan (2011-07-22). Varia Folklorica. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-080772-1.
3. Steel, Flora Annie (1989). Tales of the Punjab: Told by the People. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 978-81-206-0476-6.

Printed versions

• Swynnerton, Charles (1884). The Adventures of the Panjáb hero Rájá Rasálu, and other folk-tales of the Panjáb. Calcutta: W. Newman & Co., Ltd. pp. 1–148.
• Temple, Richard Carnac, Sir (1884). "The Adventures of Râjâ Rasâlû (as told in the Rawal-Pindi District)". The legends of the Panjâb. Bombay: Education Society's Press. pp. 1–65.
• Steel, F. Annie Webster; Kipling, J. Lockwood. Tales of the Punjab told by the people. London: Macmillan, 1894. pp. 234-266.
• Swynnerton, Charles (1903). "The Rasalu Legend". Romantic Tales From Punjab. Westminster: Archibald Constable & Co. Ltd. pp. 109–325.