Somadeva Bhatta was an 11th century writer from
Kashmir, and author of the ''
Kathasaritsagara
The ''Kathāsaritsāgara'' ("Ocean of the Streams of Stories") (Devanagari: कथासरित्सागर) is a famous 11th-century collection of Indian legends, fairy tales and folk tales as retold in Sanskrit by the Shaivite Somadeva.
...
''.
Not much is known about him except that his father's name was Rama and he composed his work (probably during the years 1063–1081 CE) for the entertainment of Queen Suryamati, a princess of Jalandhara and wife of King Ananta of Kashmir. The queen was quite distraught as it was a time when the political situation in Kashmir was 'one of discontent, intrigue, bloodshed and despair'.
He was a
Shaiva
Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...
, and very respectful of
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
and some of the tales in the ''Kathasaritsagara'' show Buddhist influences. It is also known as the encyclopaedia of social life in the 11th century.
References
* The Katha Sarit Sagara, or Ocean of the Streams of Story, Translated by C.H.Tawney, 1880
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Somadeva Bhatta
11th-century Indian poets
Collectors of fairy tales