Indian Epigraphy c6.s3.15

c6.s3.15

We have no doubt what may be called historical *kāvyas* on the careers of some ancient Indian monarchs, such as Bāṇa’s *Harṣacarita* on the early life of the Puṣyabhūti king Harṣavardhana (606-47 A. D.) of Thanesar and Kanauj, Sandhyākarana-ndin’s *Rāmacarita* on the career of Rāmapāla (c. 1077-1120 A.D.) of Eastern India and Bilhaṇa’s *Vikramānkadevacarita* on the life of Cālukya Vikramāditya VI (1076-1126 A.D.) of Kalyāṇa. But the number of such works so far discovered is meagre. Another class of semi-historical works is represented by Viśākhadatta’s dramas, *Mudrārākṣasa* (on the life of Candragupta Maurya, c. 322-298 B.C.) and *Devīcandragupta* (on the career of the Gupta emperor Candragupta II, 376-414 A. D.), written in the 6th or 7th century A.D. Unfortunately, not only is their number few, but, in the absence of corroborative evidence from other sources, it is often extremely difficult to distinguish their historical substratum from imaginary elements. Kālidāsa’s *Mālavikāgnimitra*, Bhāsa’s *Pratijñāyaugandharāyaṇa*, etc., are similar works written on the bases of historical traditions, although they obviously contain a good deal of what is legendary and imaginary. But even such compositions are not many. More important from the historian’s point of view are casual references to historical personages and events in works like Patañjali’s *Mahābhāṣya*, Rājaśekhara’s *Viddhaśālabhañjikā*, *Bālabhārata* (*Pracaṇḍa-Pāṇḍava*), etc., and others. Works of the type of Pampa’s *Vikramārjunavijaya* (Kannaḍa), and Jayaṅkoṇḍan’s *Kaliṅkattuparaṇi* (Tamil) dealing with the achievements of the Coḷa-cālukya king Kulottuṅga I (1070-1120 A. D.) are of some importance.