Kaumudi-Mahotsava
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Kaumudi-Mahotsava
''Kaumudi-Mahotsava'' (IAST: ''Kaumudīmahotsava'', "Festival of Moonlight") is a Sanskrit play of uncertain date. It is known from a single manuscript discovered in the present-day Kerala state of India. Its style and language suggest that it was composed around the 3rd century. The portion supposedly containing the name of the playwright is damaged, but the name appears to be a feminine one (read by some scholars as " Vijjakaya"), although this cannot be said with certainty. Several scholars have made attempts to identify the play's characters with historical personalities, but most modern scholars believe it to be a work of fiction. The play narrates the story of prince Kalyanavarman of Magadha, whose adopted brother Chandasena forms an alliance with the rival Licchavis, and treacherously attacks Magadha. Kalyanavarman's father Sundaravarman dies in the attack, and his mother Madiravati commits suicide by self-immolation. The orphaned young prince is taken to safety by his nur ...
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Vijja
Vijja, also known as Vidya or Vijjaka, was an 8th or 9th century Sanskrit poet from present-day India. Her verses appear in the major medieval Sanskrit anthologies. Names and identification Vijja (IAST: Vijjā) is known by several alternative names. Vidyakara's anthology calls her Vidyā, while '' Sharngadhara-paddhati'' uses the Prakrit form Vijjakā. Vallabhadeva's anthology also calls her Vijjakā, although some of its manuscripts use the variations Vijjāka or Vijjikā. Identification with Vijayanka or Vijaya A verse, attributed to Rajashekhara in Jalhana's ''Suktimuktavali'', states: Some modern writers have identified this Vijayanka (literally "having the mark of victory") with the Vidya or Vijja (literally "knowledge" or "science") mentioned in several Sanskrit anthologies. This person is also identified with Vijaya (r. c. 650-655 CE) of the Chalukya dynasty that ruled the Karnata region in southern India. One of the verses attributed to Vijja compares her to the ...
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List Of Sanskrit Plays In English Translation
Of around 155 extant Sanskrit plays, at least 46 distinct plays by at least 24 authors have been translated into English. William Jones published the first English translation of any Sanskrit play ('' Shakuntala'') in 1789. About 3 decades later, Horace Hayman Wilson published the first major English survey of Sanskrit drama, including 6 full translations (''Mṛcchakatika'', ''Vikramōrvaśīyam'', ''Uttararamacarita'', ''Malatimadhava'', ''Mudrarakshasa'', and ''Ratnavali''). These 7 plays — plus ''Nagananda'', '' Mālavikāgnimitram'', and '' Svapnavasavadattam'' (the text of which was not discovered until almost a century after Wilson's volumes) — remain the most-translated plays. The period of Sanskrit dramas in India begins roughly with the composition of the '' Natya Shastra'' (c. 200 BCE – 200 CE) — though this treatise evidences a mature theatrical practice already in existence. Literarily, the period dwindles around the composition of the Natya Shatra's influe ...
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IAST
The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during the nineteenth century from suggestions by Charles Trevelyan, William Jones, Monier Monier-Williams and other scholars, and formalised by the Transliteration Committee of the Geneva Oriental Congress, in September 1894. IAST makes it possible for the reader to read the Indic text unambiguously, exactly as if it were in the original Indic script. It is this faithfulness to the original scripts that accounts for its continuing popularity amongst scholars. Usage Scholars commonly use IAST in publications that cite textual material in Sanskrit, Pāḷi and other classical Indian languages. IAST is also used for major e-text repositories such as SARIT, Muktabodha, GRETIL, and sanskritdocuments.org. The IAST scheme represents more than a ...
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Chandi
Chandi ( sa, चण्डी, ) or Chandika () is a Hindu deity. Chandika is another form of Mahadevi, similar to Durga. Chandika is a powerful form of Mahadevi who manifested to destroy evil. She is also known as ''Kaushiki'', '' Katyayani'', ''Asthadasabuja'' ''Mahalakshmi'' and ''Mahishasuramardini''. History or is the name by which the Supremely divine is referred to in Devī Māhātmya. Chandi represents the killer of Chanda. ''Chanda'' and Munda were Ashur's strong army generals. The word Chandi also refers to the fiery power of anger of the Brahman. Bhaskararaya, a leading authority on matters concerning Devi worship, defines Chandi as 'the angry, terrible or passionate one'. While scholars debate whether an old Goddess was Sanskritized or a suppressed Goddess was reclaimed, the fact remains that since the very early days, the Devi was worshiped in the subcontinent regardless of whether she appears as a supreme deity in Brahminic texts. Scholars who trace her ...
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Sanskrit Plays
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late Bronze Age. Sanskrit is the sacred language of Hinduism, the language of classical Hindu philosophy, and of historical texts of Buddhism and Jainism. It was a link language in ancient and medieval South Asia, and upon transmission of Hindu and Buddhist culture to Southeast Asia, East Asia and Central Asia in the early medieval era, it became a language of religion and high culture, and of the political elites in some of these regions. As a result, Sanskrit had a lasting impact on the languages of South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia, especially in their formal and learned vocabularies. Sanskrit generally connotes several Old Indo-Aryan language varieties. The most archaic of these is the Vedic Sanskrit found in the Rig Veda, a collec ...
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Pterospermum Acerifolium
''Pterospermum acerifolium'', the bayur tree or karnikara tree, is a flowering plant indigenous to Southeast Asia, from India to Burma. It is most likely to grow naturally along forested stream banks. The best growing conditions are a seasonally moist then dry climate with access to full sunlight. ''Pterospermum acerifolium'' is an angiosperm that is traditionally included in the family Sterculiaceae; however, it is grouped in the expanded family Malvaceae as well. The classification ''Pterospermum'' is based on two Greek words, Pteron and Sperma, meaning “winged seed” and the species name acerifolium indicates leaves shaped like a maple's. There is an array of common names for Pterospermum acerifolium, depending on the region where it is grown. It is commonly referred to as Kanak Champa, Muchakunda or Karnikar Tree within its native range. In the Philippines, it is known as Bayog. Other common names include Bayur Tree, Maple-Leafed Bayur Tree, and Dinner Plate Tree. It is ...
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Satavahana
The Satavahanas (''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty based in the Deccan region. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavahana rule began in the late second century BCE and lasted until the early third century CE, although some assign the beginning of their rule to as early as the 3rd century BCE based on the Puranas, but uncorroborated by archaeological evidence. The Satavahana kingdom mainly comprised the present-day Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. At different times, their rule extended to parts of modern Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka. The dynasty had different capital cities at different times, including Pratishthana (Paithan) and Amaravati (Dharanikota). The origin of the dynasty is uncertain, but according to the Puranas, their first king overthrew the Kanva dynasty. In the post-Maurya era, the Satavahanas established peace in the Deccan region and resisted ...
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Samudragupta
Samudragupta (Gupta script: ''Sa-mu-dra-gu-pta'', (c. 335–375 CE) was the second emperor of the Gupta Empire of ancient India, and is regarded among the greatest rulers of the dynasty. As a son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta I and the Licchavi (tribe), Licchavi princess Kumaradevi, he greatly expanded his dynasty's political and military power. The Allahabad Pillar#Samudragupta inscription, Allahabad Pillar inscription, a ''prashasti'' (eulogy) composed by his courtier Harisena, Harishena, credits him with extensive military conquests. It suggests that he defeated several kings of northern India, and annexed their territories into his empire. He also marched along the south-eastern coast of India, advancing as far south as Kanchipuram in the Pallava dynasty, Pallava kingdom. In addition, he subjugated several frontier kingdoms and tribal oligarchies. At the height of his power, his empire extended from Ravi River in the west (present-day Punjab) to the Brahmaputra River i ...
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Chandragupta I
Chandragupta I ( Gupta script: ''Cha-ndra-gu-pta'', r. c. 319–335 or 319–350 CE) was a king of the Gupta Empire, who ruled in northern and central India. His title ''Maharajadhiraja'' ("great king of kings") suggests that he was the first emperor of the dynasty. It is not certain how he turned his small ancestral kingdom into an empire, although a widely accepted theory among modern historians is that his marriage to the Licchavi princess Kumaradevi helped him extend his political power. Their son Samudragupta further expanded the Gupta empire. Period of reign Chandragupta was a son of the Gupta king Ghatotkacha, and a grandson of the dynasty's founder Gupta, both of whom are called ''Maharaja'' ("great king") in the Allahabad Pillar inscription. Chandragupta assumed the title ''Maharajadhiraja'' ( "great king of kings") and issued gold coins, which suggests that he was the first imperial ruler of the dynasty. Chandragupta certainly reigned in the first quarter of ...
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Gupta Empire
The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from the early 4th century CE to late 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as the Golden Age of India by historians. The ruling dynasty of the empire was founded by the king Sri Gupta; the most notable rulers of the dynasty were Chandragupta I, Samudragupta, Chandragupta II and Skandagupta. The 5th-century CE Sanskrit poet Kalidasa credits the Guptas with having conquered about twenty-one kingdoms, both in and outside India, including the kingdoms of Parasikas, the Hunas, the Kambojas, tribes located in the west and east Oxus valleys, the Kinnaras, Kiratas, and others.Raghu Vamsa v 4.60–75 The high points of this period are the great cultural developments which took place primarily during the reigns of Samudragupta, Chandragupta II and Kumaragupta I. Many Hindu epics and literary sources, such as Mahabharata and Ramay ...
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Maukhari
The Maukhari dynasty (Gupta script: , ''Mau-kha-ri'') was a post-Gupta dynasty who controlled the vast plains of Ganga-Yamuna for over six generations from their capital at Kannauj. They earlier served as vassals of the Guptas and later of Harsha's Vardhana dynasty. The Maukharis established their independence during the mid 6th century. The dynasty ruled over much of Uttar Pradesh and Magadha. Around 606 CE, a large area of their empire was reconquered by the Later Guptas. According to Hieun-Tsang, the territory may have been lost to King Shashanka of the Gauda Kingdom, who declared independence circa 600 AD. Religion The Maukharis were staunch Hindus. They tried to enforce and maintain the traditional social order among the people. Hinduism received state support, but Buddhism also managed to remain as a prominent religion. Army The Maukhari army consisted of elephants, cavalry and infantry. Ishanavarman in all probability would have taken much pains to reorganize the army and ...
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Vrishni
The Vrishnis (Brahmi: ''vri-shņi'') were an ancient Vedic Indian clan who were believed to be the descendants of Vrishni. It is believed that Vrishni was the son of Satvata, a descendant of Yadu, the son of Yayati. He had two wives, Gandhari and Madri. He has a son named Devamidhusha by his wife Madri. Vasudeva, the father of Krishna was the grandson of Devamidhusha. According to the Puranas, the Vrishnis were residents of Dvaraka. Migration of Vrishnis to Dvaraka Jarasandha, father-in-law of Kamsa, invaded Mathura with a vast army; and though Krishna destroyed his army of demons, another asura, Kalayavan by name, surrounded Mathura with another army of thirty million monstrous fiends. Then Krishna thought it well to depart to Dwaraka.Sister Nivedita & Ananda K. CoomaraswamyMyths and Legends of the Hindus and Bhuddhists Kolkata, 1913 End of the Vrishnis After the death of Duryodhana in Mahabharata, Krishna received the curse of Gandhari. She bewailed the death of her son a ...
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