The ''Varna Ratnakara'', mai, वर्ण रत्नाकर, (
IAST: Varṇa Ratnākara), literally "Ocean of description", is the oldest prose work of
Maithili language, written in
1324
Year 1324 ( MCCCXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
* 23 March – Pope John XXII excommunicates German king Louis IV, as Louis had not sought papal approval during ...
CE by the
Maithil
Maithils (Tirhuta: মৈথিল, Devanagari: मैथिल), also known as Maithili people, are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group from the Indian subcontinent, who speak the Maithili language as their native language. They inhabit the M ...
scholar, priest and poet
Jyotirishwar Thakur. The author was a part of the court of King
Harisimhadeva
Harisimhadeva (also called Hari Singh Deva) was a King of the Karnat dynasty who ruled the Mithila region of modern-day North Bihar in India and parts of South Nepal.
He reigned from 1304 to 1325. He was the last king to belong to the Karnata dyn ...
(
r. 1304–1324) of the
Karnat dynasty
Karnat or Karnata dynasty was a Maithil dynasty established in 1097 CE. The dynasty had two capitals which were Simraungadh in Bara District of Nepal and Darbhanga, Bihar which became the second capital during the reign of Gangadeva. The kingdom ...
whose capitals were in both
Simraungadh
Simraungadh, Simraongarh or Simroungarh (, Devanagari: सिम्रौनगढ) was a fortified city and the main capital of the Tirhut Kingdom founded by Karnat King Nanyadeva in 1097. At present time, it is a municipality of Nepal, locat ...
(now in
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
) and
Darbhanga (now in
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
).
This work contains descriptions of various subjects and situations. This work provides valuable information about the life and culture of medieval India.
The text is divided into seven ''Kallola''s (waves): , , , , , and . An incomplete list of 84
Siddha
''Siddha'' (Sanskrit: '; "perfected one") is a term that is used widely in Indian religions and culture. It means "one who is accomplished." It refers to perfected masters who have achieved a high degree of physical as well as spiritual ...
s is found in the text, which consists only 76 names. A manuscript of this text is preserved in the
Asiatic Society
The Asiatic Society is a government of India organisation founded during the Company rule in India to enhance and further the cause of "Oriental research", in this case, research into India and the surrounding regions. It was founded by the p ...
, Kolkata
The word
Abahattha
Abahaṭṭha, Abahatta or Avahaṭṭha (Prakrit: ''abasaṭṭa'', ultimately from Sanskrit ''apaśabda'' 'meaningless sound') is a stage in the evolution of the Eastern group of the Indo-Aryan languages. The eastern group consists of la ...
was used for the very first time in this encyclopedic work.
Later the Maithili poet
Vidyapati
Vidyapati ( – 1460), also known by the sobriquet ''Maithil Kavi Kokil'' (the poet cuckoo of Maithili), was a Maithili and Sanskrit polymath-poet-saint, playwright, composer, biographer, philosopher, law-theorist, writer, courtier ...
wrote his poem ''Kīrttilatā'' in Abahatta.
Author
was written by , also spelled
Jyotirishwar Thakur. Thakur was born in a
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...
family. He was son of and grandson of . He was the court poet of King Harisimhadeva of Karnata dynasty of Mithila.
References
{{reflist
Hindu texts
13th-century books
Maithili literature