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Shudraka
Shudraka (IAST: ) was an Indian playwright, to whom three Sanskrit plays are attributed: '' Mrichchhakatika'' (''The Little Clay Cart''), ''Vinavasavadatta'', and a ''bhana'' (short one-act monologue), ''Padmaprabhritaka''.Bhattacharji, Sukumari ''History of Classical Sanskrit Literature'', Sangam Books, London, 1993, , p.93 According to the prologue of ''Mrichchhakatika'', he was a king; according to one theory, he may have been a third century Abhira king. According to another theory, Shudraka is a mythical figure, and the authorship of plays attributed to him is uncertain. Sources In the prologue of the play ''Mrichchhakatika'', the stage manager states that its poet was a wise king renowned as "Shudraka". He had performed Ashvamedha ritual to prove his superiority, and immolated himself at the age of 110 years, after crowning his son as the new king. The prologue describes him as a distinguished wise man, who had gained knowledge of the Rigveda, the Samaveda, mathematics, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vinavasavadatta
''Vina-Vasavadatta'' (IAST: Vīṇā-Vāsavadattā) is an Indian Sanskrit-language play attributed to Shudraka (c. 3rd century). The first eight acts of the play survive; its last portion is now lost. The title of the play refers to its heroine Vasavadatta and the musical instrument vina. In the play, Vasavadatta's father, king Pradyota of Avanti, searches for a suitable husband for his daughter. Based on interpretation of a dream, Pradyota and his ministers determine that king Udayana of Vatsa is a suitable match, but is too proud to willingly accept a proposal to marry to the princess. To break his pride, Pradyota arranges for Udayana to be captured and imprisoned in Ujjayini, the capital of Avanti. There, Udayana falls in love with Vasavadatta, and meets her on the pretext of giving her vina lessons. With the help of his aides, Udayana plans to escape with the princess. The rest of the plot, which is not available in the extant acts, probably described Udayana's escape and subs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vikramaditya
Vikramaditya (IAST: ') was a legendary king who has been featured in hundreds of traditional stories including those in ''Baital Pachisi'' and ''Singhasan Battisi''. Many describe him as ruler with his capital at Ujjain (Pataliputra or Pratishthana in a few stories). The term ''Vikramaditya'' is also used as a title by several Hindu monarchs. According to popular tradition, Vikramaditya began the Vikrama Samvat era in 57 BCE after defeating the Shakas, and those who believe that he is based on a historical figure place him around the first century BCE. However, this era is identified as "Vikrama Samvat" after the ninth century CE. "Vikramaditya" was a common title adopted by several Indian kings, and the Vikramaditya legends may be embellished accounts of different kings (particularly Chandragupta II). Nevertheless, many scriptures from the Shaka era mentions the mighty ruler. Early legends Malava king Rajbali Pandey, Kailash Chand Jain and others believe that Vikramad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abhira Dynasty
The Abhira dynasty was a dynasty that ruled over the western Deccan, where they succeeded the Satavahanas. From 203 to roughly 260, they formed a vast kingdom. They were from the Abhira kshatriya clan. Abhira Era started by Ishwarsena in AD 249, continued with them and was called Abhira-Traikutika era. This era was later continued by Kalachuri Dynasty, calling it Kalachuri era, and later Kalachuri-Chedi era. Etymology The term Abhira (a-bhi+ra+a) literary means one who frightens or causes fear. According to Pran Nath Chopra, The name Abhira may stem from a-bhira—a, not bhira, fear-fearless. Origin The Abhiras were from the Yaduvanshi Kshatriya clan. They were among the successors of the Satavahanas in the Western Deccan. Some of them entered the military service of the Western Satraps (Sakas), and helped them in conquest of new territories. By 181 A.D, the Abhiras had gained considerable influence at the Kshatrapa court. Some of them were even serving as generals. The Gunda ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ujjain
Ujjain (, Hindustani language, Hindustani pronunciation: Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, [ʊd͡ːʒɛːn]) is a city in Ujjain district of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the public administration, administrative centre of Ujjain district and Ujjain division. It is one of the Hindu pilgrimage centres of Sapta Puri famous for the ''Kumbh Mela'' held there every 12 years. The famous temple of Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is located in the center of the city. An ancient city situated on the eastern bank of the Shipra River, Ujjain was the most prominent city on the Malwa plateau of central India for much of its history. It emerged as the political centre of central India around 600 BCE. It was the capital of the ancient Avanti (India), Avanti kingdom, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas. During the 18th century, the city briefly became the capital of Scindia state of the Maratha Empire, when ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sanskrit
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 colle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malwa
Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also synonymous with the former state of Madhya Bharat which was later merged with Madhya Pradesh. At present the historical Malwa region includes districts of western Madhya Pradesh and parts of south-eastern Rajasthan. Sometimes the definition of Malwa is extended to include the Nimar region south of the Vindhyas. The Malwa region had been a separate political unit from the time of the ancient Malava Kingdom. It has been ruled by several kingdoms and dynasties, including the Avanti Kingdom, The Mauryans, the Malavas, the Guptas, the Paramaras, the Delhi Sultanate, the Malwa sultans, the Mughals and the Marathas. Malwa continued to be an administrative division until 1947, when the Malwa Agency of British India was merged into Madhya Bharat (a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ashmaka
Ashmaka (Sanskrit: ) or Assaka (Pali: ) was a Mahajanapada in ancient India which existed between 700 BCE and 425 or 345 BCE according to the Buddhist texts '' Anguttara Nikaya'' and '' Puranas''. It was located around and between the Godavari river in present-day Telangana and Maharashtra. Its capital is variously called Potali or Podana, and is identified as present-day Bodhan in Telangana. Location Aśmaka was located on the Godāvarī river, between Mūlaka and Kaliṅga. The capital of Aśmaka was the city variously named Podana, Potali, and Potana, which corresponds to modern-day Bodhan. History The Aśmaka kingdom already existed at the time of the s, when its king Brahmadatta was mentioned in the as a contemporary of Reṇu of Videha and Dhataraṭṭha or Dhṛtarāṣṭra of Kāsī. Aśmaka annexed the small kingdom of Mūlaka located to its west during the Mahajanapada period, after which it became the southern neighbour of the kingdom of Avanti. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vividha Tirtha Kalpa
''Vividha Tirtha Kalpa'' is a widely cited Jain text composed by Jinaprabha Suri in the 14th century CE. It is a compilation of about 60 Kalpas (sections), most of them give the accounts of major Jain Tirthas. ''Vividha Tirtha Kalpa'' is an example of the tirtha-mala texts that are compilations about Jain Tirthas throughout India, ranging from Nirvana Kanda of Kundakunda to modern publications. Jinaprabh Suri is said to have written three Jain prayers in Persian. Author Jinaprabha Suri lived during the rule of Muhammad bin Tughluq. He travelled widely and has left a record of contemporary events as well as oral traditions. He was born in Mohilvadi, Gujarat in the Tambi clan of Shrimal Jain community. He was initiated at the age of 8 and became an Acharya in Kharatara Gaccha at 23. Composition time Some of the Kalpas contain the date of compositions, although most are undated. The dates range from Samvat 1364 ( Vaibhargiri Kalpa) to Samvat 1389.Vividha Tirth kalpa, Jinaprabh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Skandapurana
The ''Skanda Purana'' (IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest '' Mukyapurana'', a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Kaumara literature, titled after Skanda, a son of Shiva and Parvati, who is also known as Murugan. While the text is named after Skanda, he does not feature either more or less prominently in this text than in other Shiva-related Puranas. The text has been an important historical record and influence on the Hindu traditions related to the war-god Skanda. The earliest text titled ''Skanda Purana'' likely existed by the 8th century CE, but the ''Skanda Purana'' that has survived into the modern era exists in many versions. It is considered as a living text, which has been widely edited, over many centuries, creating numerous variants. The common elements in the variant editions encyclopedically cover cosmogony, mythology, genealogy, dharma, festivals, gemology, temples, geography, discussion of virtues and evi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ishwarsena
Mathariputra Ishwarsena or Mahaksatrapa Ishwarsena was the founder of the Abhira dynasty. He and his descendants, whose names occur in the Puranas, seem to have ruled over a large territory in the Deccan. He took the title of Rajan and an era was named after him. His descendants ruled for nine generations. Early life and ascension to the throne Ishwarsena was the son of Abhira Sivadatta and his wife Mathari. Another king claiming to be a son of Mathari is Sakasena. He is identified with Saka Satakarni, whose coins have been found over Andhra Pradesh and is taken to be a Satavahana king and successor of Yajna Sri Satakarni. However, K.Gopalchari thinks that Sakasena was a Abhira king. Reasons: * The name of Sakasena or Saka Satakarni does not occur in the Puranic genealogies of the Andhra-Satavahana kings. He claimed to be th son of Mathari, the wife of Abhira Sivadatta, as indicated by his epithet ''Mathariputra''. * The traditional title of ''Siri'' which is found on most coins ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sten Konow
Sten Konow. Sten Konow (17 April 1867 – 29 June 1948) was a Norwegian Indologist. He was professor of Indic philology at the Christiania University, Oslo, from 1910, moving to Hamburg University in 1914, where he was professor for Indian history and culture. He returned to Oslo as professor for Indian languages and history in 1919. He was a specialist on the Tibeto-Burmese languages. Konow was born in Sør-Aurdal in Oppland where his father Wollert Otto Konow (1833–95) was a parish priest married to Henrikka Christiane Johanne Molde Wolff (1841–1927). Konow studied art, graduating from Lillehammer in 1884. He then studied in Kristiania before movingt to Halle and worked in the Oslo University library for some time. In 1890 he collated a Norwegian lexicon. He returned to studies in Indian philology at the University of Halle under Richard Pischel and received a doctorate in 1893 with studies on the Sāmavidhānabrāhmana. He worked in Berlin from 1894 to 1896 and returne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
