Banabhatta
Also called: Bana · Topic: Early Medieval North India: Harsha to the Rajputs · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 3 "Empires and Kingdoms: 6th to 10th Centuries"; Class 12, Ch 2 "Kings, Farmers and Towns"
Meaning
Banabhatta, usually called Bana, was a Sanskrit writer of the 7th century CE. He was the court poet of Harshavardhana, who ruled north India from Kannauj. A court poet is a writer who lives at the king's court with the king's support. Bana wrote two famous prose works: the Harshacharita, a life story of Harsha, and the Kadambari, a long romance. His writing is one of the main sources for Harsha's reign. It also shows how people lived at that time, including women working in farming, crafts and at court.
Example
In the Harshacharita, Bana tells how Harsha came to the throne in 606 CE and describes his court in detail. Historians read it together with Xuanzang's travel account to rebuild the history of Harsha's reign.
Don't confuse with
- Kalhana: also a Sanskrit writer, but from 12th-century Kashmir. He wrote the Rajatarangini, a history of Kashmir's kings. He was not a court poet praising one living king.
Related concepts
- Pushyabhuti dynasty
- Harshavardhana
- Kannauj
- Harshacharita
- Kadambari
- Kamarupa
- Varman dynasty
- Prayaga assembly
- Xuanzang