Kadambari
Topic: Early Medieval North India: Harsha to the Rajputs · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 3 "Empires and Kingdoms: 6th to 10th Centuries"
Meaning
The Kadambari is a long prose romance in Sanskrit. Prose means ordinary writing, not poetry. Banabhatta (Bana), the court poet of Harshavardhana, wrote it in the 7th century CE. It is often called one of the world's first novels. It is famous for its rich language and its stories set inside other stories. Bana died before he finished it, and his son completed it.
Example
The Kadambari follows a prince of Ujjayini and the heavenly maiden Kadambari. Their love story carries on across more than one birth. It was written at Harsha's court, which was based at Kannauj, in the 7th century CE.
Don't confuse with
- Harshacharita: Bana's other major work. It tells the life of a real king, Harsha, so it is a biography, not a made-up story.
Related concepts
- Pushyabhuti dynasty
- Harshavardhana
- Kannauj
- Banabhatta
- Harshacharita
- Kamarupa
- Varman dynasty
- Prayaga assembly
- Xuanzang