Umapati Dhara (উমাপতি ধর, c. 1150–1240) was the chief minister in the court of

Lakshmana Sena Lokkhon Sen or Lakshmana Sena () was the ruler from the Sena dynasty of the Bengal region on the Indian subcontinent. His rule lasted for 28 years, in which his empire reached at its peak possessing the territories of Gauda, Kamrupa, Kalinga, ...

(ruler from the Sena dynasty of the Bengal region on the Indian subcontinent). and one of the court poets of

. Several Prashasti like the

Deopara Prashasti The Deopara Prashasti is a stone inscription ('' prashasti'') eulogizing the Sena kings of Bengal. It was composed by Umapati Dhara, a minister in the court of Lakshmana Sena (c. 1178–1206), who was also one of several court poets. The inscripti ...

, a stone inscription eulogizing the Sena kings of Bengal was written by him. He is one of the Pancharatna in the court of

. Jayadeva was the middle jewel of this Pancharatna. The identity of these four Kavibandhus of Jayadeva might have been lost forever if the poet Jayadeva had not mentioned their names and poetic qualities in '

Gita Govinda The ''Gita Govinda'' (; IAST: ''gītagovindam'') is a work composed by the 12th-century Hindu poet, Jayadeva. It describes the relationship between Krishna, Radha and ''gopis'' (female cow herders) of Vrindavan. The ''Gita Govinda'' is organiz ...

' However, earlier Lakshmanasena's court poet, Batudas's son Sridhardas, has compiled Saduktikarnamrita by including many verses of these four poets, he saved their poetry from oblivion. According to Jayadeva, Umapati Dhar's characteristic of writing was to enrich the words and sentences. His famous works were the Deoparaprashasti and the Madhainagar copper plates He also wrote a book Chandrachudacharita, in Sanskrit, which has not been found.

Personal life

Umapati Dhara was born into a rich Jamindar family from the

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

Baidya Baidya or Vaidya is a Bengali Hindu community located in the Bengal region of Indian subcontinent. A caste (''jāti'') of Ayurvedic physicians, the Baidyas have long had pre-eminence in society alongside Brahmins and Kayasthas. In the coloni ...

caste. He was one of the five gems of Sanskrit scholars, which was mentioned at the court of Lakshmana Sena. His father Kanjilal Dhar lived in Sonargram, whose sister Bhagabati Devi was married to Bhabesh Dutta relative of Gouri Sen a reputed gold merchant in the era of Ballāla Sena. available in Wikimedia Commons

References

* G.A. Grierson, 'Parijataharana Nataka'; * Journal of Bihar Orissa Research Society, 1917; * Chintaharan Chakrabarti, ed., Pavanaduta of Dhoyi, Calcutta, 1926; * Nanigopal Majumdar, Inscriptions of Bengal, Vol. III, Rajshahi, 1929. * M. Winternitz, A History of Indian Literature, Vol. III, part I, Delhi, 1963 * ভারতকোষ, প্রথম খণ্ড, বঙ্গীয় সাহিত্য পরিষৎ, কলিকাতা, পাতা-৬৪৮। * বাংলা সাহিত্যের ইতিবৃত্ত, প্রথম খণ্ড, ডঃ অসিতকুমার বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়, পাতা- ৭৮-৮১। * A.M. Chowdhury, Dyanastic History of Bengal, Dhaka, 1967 * R.C. Majumdar, History Of Ancient Bengal, Calcutta, 1971 * সুভাষিতাবলী {{DEFAULTSORT:Dhar, Umapati Indian male poets 12th-century Indian poets Poets from West Bengal Sanskrit poets 1150s births 1240 deaths Bengali philosophers Bengali Hindus 13th-century Hindu philosophers and theologians Indian Vaishnavites 12th-century Indian philosophers People from Narayanganj District

Personal life

See also

References

Further reading