Hemādri Paṇḍita, popularly known as Hemāḍapanta, was a

polymath A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...

and a

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

from 1259 to 1274 CE during the reign of Samrat Mahādeva (1259–1271) and samrat

Ramachandra Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda'' ...

(1271–1309) of the

Seuna (Yadava) dynasty The Seuna, Sevuna, or Yadava, Yadavas of Devagiri (IAST: Seuṇa, –1317) was a medieval Indian dynasty, which at its peak ruled a realm stretching from the Narmada River, Narmada river in the north to the Tungabhadra river in the south, in th ...

, which ruled the western and southern part of

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 ...

. Hemadpant is also the creator of Hemadpanti architecture.

Origin

Hemadri Pandit was born in a

Deshastha Brahmin Deshastha Brahmin is a Hinduism, Hindu Brahmin caste, subcaste mainly from the Indian state of Maharashtra and North Karnataka. Other than these states, according to authors K. S. Singh, Gregory Naik and Pran Nath Chopra, Deshastha Brahmins a ...

family in

Paithan Paithan (), historically Pratiṣṭhāna ɾə'tɪʂʈʰanə is a town with municipal council in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, Maharashtra, Maharashtra, India. Paithan is located south of present-day Aurangabad on the banks of the ...

that had its origin in the

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

. His father, Kāmadeo, had brought him up in

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. Hemadri's biography written by Keshav Appa Padhye, the author has mentioned that Hemadri was a Rigvedi Vatsagotri (belonging to the Vatsa

Gotra In Hindu culture, the term gotra (Sanskrit: गोत्र) is considered to be equivalent to lineage. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Generally, the gotr ...

), Panchapravari (5 pravara) brāhmaṇa (५: जामदग्ना वत्सास्तेषां पञ्चार्षेयो भार्गवच्यावनाप्नवानौर्वजामदग्नेति, ref. आश्वलायनश्रौतसूत्र). He has mentioned the reference for this information to be the book authored by Hemadri himself, the चतुर्वर्गचिंतामणि, or chaturvarga-chintāmaṇi.

Career

Hemadri was a diplomat, an administrator, an architect, a poet, and a theologian and scholar. During his prime ministership, the Yadav kingdom reached its zenith; soon after his tenure, the Turkic emperor of

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, Alāuddin Khalji, and his successors ended the Yadav rule in southwestern India.

Writings

* Hemadri wrote the encyclopedic book about

dharma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

, the ''Chaturvarga Chintāmaṇi''. It contains, among other subjects, thousands of ''

Vrata Vrata is a Sanskrit word that means "vow, resolve, devotion", and refers to pious observances such as Fasting#Hinduism, fasting and pilgrimage (Tirtha (Hinduism), Tirtha) found in Indian religions such as Hinduism and Jainism. It is typically ...

s'' along with the modus operandi for performing them. * He wrote the commentary ''Āyurveda Rasāyan'' on the Ayurvedic

Samhita Samhita (IAST: ''Saṃhitā'') literally means "put together, joined, union", a "collection", and "a methodical, rule-based combination of text or verses".

"Ashtānga Hṛdayam", containing descriptions of various diseases and their remedies. * A small historical book, the ''Hemādpanti Bakhar'' (Hemadpant's Chronicle) is credited to him. * He created the ''Mestakas'' to standardize procedural sections of state administration.

Cultural contributions

* Hemadri introduced the use of the

Modi script Modi (, 𑘦𑘻𑘚𑘲‎, , ) is a script used to write the Marathi language, which is the primary language spoken in the state of Maharashtra, India. There are multiple theories concerning its origin. The Modi script was used alongside the ...

for Marāthi (cursive style of writing Marathi) in government correspondence, a script which continued to be used till the end of

Peshwa The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave t ...

rule. * He conceived of buildings and temples which did not use lime under his Hemadpanti architecture style. * He introduced the plantation of

pearl millet Pearl millet (''Cenchrus americanus'', commonly known as the synonym ''Pennisetum glaucum'') is the most widely grown type of millet. It has been grown in Africa and the Indian subcontinent since prehistoric times. The center of diversity, and ...

(Bājari) as a staple crop. * He encouraged and supported many artists and writers like Bopadev and studied their books and presented his own criticism.

References

{{Reflist

Sources

* ''Samasta Maharashtriya Brahman Potshakha'' (A Genealogy of all the Maharashtrian Brahmins,

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

) by Dr. Abhaykumar Savaji * ''Hemadri Athawa Hemadpant'' (Hemadri, or Hemadpant;

) by Keshav Appa Padhye * ''Maharashtra Saraswat'' (The Saraswats of Maharashtra,

) by Vinayakrao Bhave * ''Aitihasik Prastavana'' (Proposals on History,

) by

Vishwanath Kashinath Rajwade Vishwanath Kashinath Rajwade (24 July 1863 – 31 December 1926) was an Indian historian, known for his work on the history of the Maratha Empire. He pioneered research into the Empire by visiting hundreds of villages across India and gathering t ...