Rajashekhara (; ) was a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

poet, dramatist and critic. He was the

court poet A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarc ...

of the

Gurjara Pratihara The Gurjara-Pratihara was a dynasty that ruled much of Northern India from the mid-8th to the 11th century. They ruled first at Ujjain and later at Kannauj. The Gurjara-Pratiharas were instrumental in containing Arab armies moving east of the ...

s. 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 Maharashtri or Maharashtri Prakrit ('), is a Prakrit language of ancient as well as medieval India and the ancestor of Marathi and Konkani. Maharashtri Prakrit was commonly spoken until 875 CEV.Rajwade, ''Maharashtrache prachin rajyakarte''

. 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 a woman for her contributions to his literary career.

Life

In his ''Bālarāmāyaṇa'' and ''Kāvyamimāṃsā'', Rajashekhara referred himself by his family name ''Yāyāvara'' or ''Yāyāvarīya''. In ''Bālarāmāyaṇa'', he mentioned that his great grandfather

Akalajalada Akāla-jalada (c. 8th–9th century) was a Sanskrit-language poet from the Tripuri Kalachuri kingdom of present-day Central India. He was the great-grandfather of the Gurjara-Pratihara court poet Rajashekhara. Biography Akalajalada was the ...

belonged to

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

. 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 (

Chauhan Chauhan, historically ''Chahamana'', is a clan name historically associated with the various ruling Rajput families during the Medieval India in Rajasthan. Subclans Khichi, Hada, Songara, Bhadauria, Devda etc. are the branches or subcla ...

) family. In his works, he described himself as the teacher of the

Gurjara-Pratihara The Gurjara-Pratihara was a dynasty that ruled much of Northern India from the mid-8th to the 11th century. They ruled first at Ujjain and later at Kannauj. The Gurjara-Pratiharas were instrumental in containing Arab armies moving east of ...

king

Mahendrapala I Mahendrapala I (885–910) was a ruler of Pratihara dynasty, the son of Mihir Bhoja I and queen ''Candra-Bhatta-Rika-Devi''. He was also mentioned on various inscriptions in Kathiawar, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh by names ''Mahindrapala'', '' ...

Works

The works attributed to poet Rajshekhara include: * ''Viddhaśālabhañjikā'' * ''Bālabhārata'' * ''Karpūramañjarī'' * ''Bālarāmāyaṇa'' * ''Kāvyamīmāṃsā''

References

History of Maharashtra Indian male poets 9th-century Indian poets 10th-century Indian poets {{Hindu-bio-stub