The word Mahakavi or Maha Kavi is an

Indian honorific Indian honorifics are honorific titles or appendices to names used in the Indian subcontinent, covering formal and informal social, commercial, and religious relationships. These may take the form of prefixes, suffixes or replacements. Native ...

which means "Great Poet" in Sanskrit. This may refer to:

Poets

Kālidāsa Kālidāsa (, "Servant of Kali (god), Kali"; 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on Hindu Puranas and philosophy. ...

, 5th-century Sanskrit playwright and epic poet, popularly known as "Mahakavi Kalidasa" *

Bharavi Bharavi () was a 6th century Indian poet known for his epic poem '' Kirātārjunīya'', one of the six '' mahakavyas'' in classical Sanskrit. Date According to multiple grant inscriptions of the Ganga dynasty, such as the Gummareddipura in ...

, 6th century Sanskrit poet *

Bāṇabhaṭṭa Bāṇabhaṭṭa () was a 7th-century Sanskrit prose writer and poet from India. He was the ''Asthana Kavi'' in the court of the Emperor Harsha, during his reign at Kanyakubja. Bāna's principal works include a biography of Harsha, the ''Ha ...

, 7th-century Sanskrit writer and poet *

Bhavabhuti Bhavabhūti (born Śrīkaṇṭha Nīlakaṇṭha; Devanagari: भवभूति; -) was a classical Sanskrit scholar, poet, and playwright of eighth-century India. He is considered a key successor to Kalidasa and is often regarded as matching ...

, 8th-century Sanskrit poet, and playwright *

Magha (poet) Magha (c. 7th century) (, ) was a Sanskrit Language, Sanskrit poet at Vatsraj, King Varmalata's court at Bhinmal, Shrimala, the then-capital of Gujarat (presently in Rajasthan state). Magha was born in a Shrimali Brahmins, Shrimali Brahmin fami ...

, 7th century Sanskrit poet *

Shriharsha Shri-harsha (IAST: Śrīharṣa) was a 12th century CE Indian philosophy, Indian philosopher and Indian poetry, poet. Śrīharṣa works discuss various themes in Indian philosophy, Indian Philosophy, such as pramana. He has been often interpreted ...

, 12th century Sanskrit philosopher-poet *

Janna Janna (Kannada : ಮಹಾಕವಿ ಜನ್ನ) was one of the well-known Kannada poets of the early 13th century who also served in the capacity of a minister and a builder of temples. He graced the court of Hoysala empire King Veera Ba ...

, known as Mahakavi Janna, 13th-century Kannada poet *

Vidyapati Vidyapati ( – 1448), also known by the sobriquet ''Maithil Kavi Kokil'' (the poet cuckoo of Maithili), was a Maithili and Sanskrit polymath-poet-saint, playwright, composer, biographer, philosopher, law-theorist, writer, courtier and ...

(1352–1448), also known as ''Maithil Kavi Kokil'' (the poet cuckoo of Maithili language), Maithili poet and Sanskrit writer *

Kshetrayya Kshetrayya (–1680) was a prolific Telugu poet. He lived in the area of Andhra Pradesh in South India. He composed a number of ''padams'' and ''keertanas'', the prevalent formats of his time. He is credited with more than 4000 compositions, ...

(c. 1600–1680) Telugu poet of songs for Krishna *

Subramania Bharati Subramania Bharati (Born Chinnaswami Subramaniyan; 11 December 1882 – 11 September 1921) was an Indian writer, poet, journalist, teacher, Indian independence activist, social reformer and polyglot. He was bestowed the title ''Bharati'' for hi ...

(1882–1921), Tamil writer, poet and journalist, and Indian independence activist and social reformer from Tamil Nadu, popularly known as "Mahakavi Bharathi", he was a pioneer of modern Tamil poetry and is considered one of the greatest Tamil literary figures of all time *

Ayodhya Singh Upadhyay Ayodhya Singh Upadhyay ‘Hari Oudh', (15 April 1865 – 16 March 1947) was a writer of Hindi literature. He was the Chairman of the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan and had been conferred the title of Vidyavachaspati. Life Hari Oudh was born in the yea ...

(1865–1947), modern Hindi poet *

Moyinkutty Vaidyar Hakim Muheen, Officially known as Moyinkutty Vaidyar or Doctor Moyin Kutty (1852–1892), often referred to as ''Mahakavi'' (great poet), is historically considered one of the most renowned poets of the Mappila pattu genre of Malayalam langu ...

(1852–1892), Muslim Malayalam poet of the Mappila pattu genre *

Kumaran Asan Mahakavi Kumaran Asan (12 April 1871 – 16 January 1924) was a poet of Malayalam literature, Indian social reformer and a philosopher. He is known to have initiated a revolution in Malayalam poetry during the first quarter of the 20th century, ...

(1873–1924), one of the modern triumvirate poets of Malayalam * Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer (1877–1949), one of the modern triumvirate poets of Malayalam *

Vallathol Narayana Menon Vallathol Narayana Menon (16 October 1878 – 13 March 1958) was a Malayalam poet and one of the triumvirate of modern Malayalam poetry, along with Asan and Ulloor. The honorific Mahakavi was applied to him in 1913 after the publication of ...

(1878–1958), one of the modern triumvirate poets of Malayalam *

K.V. Simon ''Mahakavi'' Kunnampurathu Varghese Simon (7 February 1883 – 20 February 1944) was a Malayalam Christian poet from Kerala, India. He was also a musician, a teacher, a reformer, a writer, a Bible scholar and apologist. Simon authored around t ...

(1883–1944), Christian Malayalam poet, Sanskrit scholar and polyglot *

Puthencavu Mathan Tharakan Mahakavi Puthencavu Mathan Tharakan (born 1903) was a Malayalam poet. Birth and family He was born on 5 September 1903 at Puthencavu, a village in present day Alapuzha district of Kerala, South India, then in Travancore to Mariamma and K. E. M ...

(1903–1993), Christian Malayalam poet * P. C. Devassia (1906–2006), Christian Sanskrit scholar and poet *

Laxmi Prasad Devkota Laxmi Prasad Devkota () (1909-1959) was a Nepalis, Nepalese poet, playwright, novelist, and politician. Honored with the title of Mahakabi () in Nepali literature, he was known as a poet with a golden heart, and is considered one of the most fam ...

(1909–1959), Nepali poet *

Gurajada Apparao Gurajada Venkata Apparao (21 September 1862 – 30 November 1915) was an Indian playwright, dramatist, poet, and writer known for his works in Telugu theatre. Rao wrote the play '' Kanyasulkam'' in 1892, which is considered as the greatest pla ...

(1862-1915), playwright, dramatist, poet, and writer; his play ''Kanyasulkam'' is considered as the greatest play in the Telugu language *

Dasu Sriramulu Mahakavi Dasu Sriramulu (18461908) was an Indian scholar, poet, orator, author, astrologer, avadhani, translator, and social reformer. He was a lawyer by profession. He was a child prodigy. He had no formal tutelage in these diverse arts – ...

(1846-1908), scholar, dramatist, poet, orator and writer. Author of several literary works - kavyalu, satakas, plays, lyrics for musical and dance compositions *

Sri Sri (writer) Srirangam Srinivasa Rao (30 April 1910 – 15 June 1983), popularly known as Sri Sri, was an Indian poet and lyricist who is known for his works in Telugu literature and films. Noted for his anthology '' Maha Prasthanam'', Sri Sri is a recipien ...

(1910-1983), Telugu poet and lyricist who is known for his works in Telugu literature and films. Noted for his anthology Maha Prasthanam

Others

* ''Mahakavi'' (TV series), a 2016 Indian television documentary about Hindi poets hosted by poet Kumar Vishwas {{disambiguation