Rajashekhara (IAST: Rājaśekhara; fl. 10th century[1]) was a Maharashtri Prakrit and Sanskrit poet, dramatist and critic. He was the court poet of the Pratiharas of Kannauj.[2]
Rajashekhara | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | Poet, dramatist and critic |
| Spouse | Avantisundari |
| Father | Durduka |
Rajashekhara wrote the Kāvyamīmāṃsā between 880 and 920 CE. The work is essentially a practical guide for poets that explains the elements and composition of a good poem. He is most noted for the Kārpūramañjarī, a play written in Maharashtri Prakrit.[3] Rajashekhara wrote the play to please his wife, Avantisundarī, a woman of taste and accomplishment. Rajashekhara is perhaps the only ancient Indian poet to acknowledge his wife for her contributions to his literary career.[1]
Life
editIn his Bālarāmāyaṇa and Kāvyamimāṃsā, Rajashekhara referred himself by his family name Yāyāvara or Yāyāvarīya. In Bālarāmāyaṇa, he mentioned that his great grandfather Akalajalada belonged to Maharashtra. In the same work, he described his father Durduka as a Mahamantrin (minister) without providing any details. He mentioned in his works that his wife Avantisundari belonged to the Chahamana family. In his works, he described himself as the teacher of the Pratiharan emperor Mahendrapala I of Kannauj.[4]
Works
editThe works attributed to poet Rajshekhara include:
References
edit- ^ a b Sisir Kumar Das, Sahitya Akademi (2006). A history of Indian literature, 500-1399: from courtly to the popular. Sahitya Akademi. p. 60. ISBN 9788126021710.
- ^ Chandra, Satish (1978). Medieval India: a textbook for classes XI-XII, Part 1. National Council of Educational Research and Training (India). p. 10.
- ^ The Indian Autobiographies in English. Author House. 28 February 2013. ISBN 9781481784948.
- ^ Warder, A. K. (1988). Indian Kāvya Literature. Vol. V. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 413–414. ISBN 81-208-0450-3.
- ^ Rama Shankar Tripathi (1989). History of Kanauj: To the Moslem Conquest. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 224. ISBN 978-81-208-0404-3.
- ^ Rajasekhara (1884). Jivanand Vidyasagara (ed.). Balaramayana, a drama by Rajasekhara (in Sanskrit). Calcutta. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Rājaśekhara (2013). Kāvyamīmāṁsā of Rājaśekhara : original text in Sanskrit and translation with explanatory notes. Edited and translated by Sadhana Parashar. New Delhi: D.K. Printworld. ISBN 978-81-246-0140-2. OCLC 857550708.
- ^ Rajasekhara (1924). Kavyamimamsa (3rd ed.). Baroda: Oriental Institute.
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