Kaviraj (or Rajkavi, Kaviraja) is a title of honor, which was given to poets and litterateurs attached to royal courts in medieval India.[1][2] Eminent Charans who were inducted into the royal courts due to their literary merit as royal poets and historians were given the rank of Kaviraja (King of Poets). Such Charans assumed positions of great influence in the medieval polity.[3][4][5] Few well known people are Kaviraja Shyamaldas, Kaviraja Bankidas, etc.[6] The descendants of such persons also started using the surname Kaviraj.
The surname is usually found in people of Gujarat, Rajasthan, etc. One of the community where this surname is often found is Charan, who were the state poets and historians in the Rajput kingdoms of these regions.
Charans came to be instructed not only in oral recitation and memorisation but also in such subjects as religion and astrology, at times being accepted into royal courts with the titles of Kaviraja or Barhat ('Guardian of the Gate').
A few of the most prestigious Caranas were also accepted in the royal darbars ("courts"), attaining the rank of Kaviraja or "court-laureate" and assuming positions of great influence because of the power of their words.
Kaviraj Shyamaldas, later author of the well-known history of Mewar called the Vir Vinod, was appointed to look after this library. It was during Maharana Sajjan Singh's reign that Shyamaldas wrote the major part of his now-renowned history of Mewar. The title of 'Kaviraj', or 'King of Poets', was bestowed on Shyamaldas for his skills.
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