Chandravardai (1148 – 91 AD) was the 12 th century poet of Rajasthan. He was a great friend of the last Hindu king of Delhi, Prithviraj Chauhan (1159 – 93), and the chief poet of his court. Family of Chandravardai belonged to Punjab and the Chauhan family of Ajmer (Rajasthan) was their patron. His father’s name was Rao Ven. He himself was a devotee of Goddess Jalapa. The title of ‘Bardai’ alludes of his being considered the boon of this goddess. He was married twice, first to Kamala and then to Gauri. Of this four sons, Jalla was considered to best. It is said that when Shahabuddin Ghori captured Prithviraj Chauhan and took him to Ghazni, Chandravardai went retrieve his friend and king, and asked his son Jalla to complete the epic Prithviraj Raso for him, should he fail to return. Literary Works of Chandravardai Chandravardai’s fame as a poet of the genre virakavya – a kind of epic balad – remains unsurpassed. Prithviraj Raso is considered to be the first major b