Bāṇabhaṭṭa () was a 7th-century
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
prose writer and poet from
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. 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 ''
Harshacharita
The ''Harshacharita'' (, ; English: ''The deeds of Harsha'') is the biography of Indian emperor Harsha by Banabhatta, also known as Bana, who was a Sanskrit writer of seventh-century CE India. He was the ''Asthana Kavi'', meaning ''Court Poet ...
'' (The Life of Harsha), and one of the world's earliest novels, ''
Kadambari''. Bāṇa died before finishing the novel and it was completed by his son Bhūṣaṇabhaṭṭa. Both these works are noted texts of Sanskrit literature.
The other works attributed to him are the ''Caṇḍikāśataka'' and a drama, the ''Pārvatīpariṇaya''. Banabhatta gets an applause as "''Banochhistam Jagatsarvam''" meaning Bana has described everything in this world and nothing is left.
Biography
A detailed account regarding his ancestry and early life can be reconstructed from the introductory verses attached to the ''
Kadambari'' and the first two ''ucchāvasas'' of the ''
Harṣacarita'', while the circumstances behind the composition of the ''Harṣacarita'' are described in the third ''ucchāvasa'' of the text. ''Harsacarita'' is considered as the first Indian work which may be regarded as a historical biography. It gives a vivid picture of life in the Indian countryside.
Bāna was born to Chitrabhānu and Rājadevi in the village of Pritikuta in a
Kanyakubja Brahmin family.
His mother died early leaving him in the loving care of his father. His father married again and had two more sons. After the death of his father when he was 14, Bāṇa led a colourful and wandering life with his half-brothers for a period but later came back to his native village. Here, on a summer day, on receiving a letter from Krishna, a cousin of
Emperor Harsha, he met the emperor while he was camping near the town of Manitara. After receiving Bāna with mock signs of anger, the emperor showed him much favor.
Works
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* Bana (tr. G. Layne),
Bāṇabhaṭṭa Kādambarī. A Classic Sanskrit Story of Magical Transformations(New York: Garland, 1991).*Harshacharita :The Harshacharita (Sanskrit: हर्षचरित, Harṣacarita) (The deeds of Harsha), is the biography of Indian emperor Harsha by Banabhatta, also known as Bana, who was a Sanskrit writer of seventh-century CE India. He was the Asthana Kavi, meaning Court Poet, of Harsha. The Harshacharita was the first composition of Bana and is considered to be the beginning of the writing of historical poetic works in the Sanskrit language.
References
* The Harsacharita of Bana. Translated by
E. B. Cowell and
F. W. Thomas. London: Royal Asiatic Society, 1897, 4–34.
Biography Books
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Banabhatta
Sanskrit writers
Scholars from Bihar
History of Bihar
Sanskrit poets
7th-century Indian poets
Indian male novelists
Indian male poets
Indian male biographers