Studies in the History of Sanskrit Poetics v1.c44.11

v1.c44.11

All this raises the most likely presumption that Viśvanātha should be assigned to a period ranging roughly from 1200 to 1350 A. D. This approximation can be considerably narrowed down if we can draw any chronological inference from a verse in the Sāhitya-darpaṇa (ad iv 14, p. 232) which refers to a Muhammadan king named Allāvadīna¹. This Allāvadīna or Alāvadīna² may probably be Sultān³ 'Alāu-d-dīn Khaljī, whose army invaded the Deccan and seized Orangal. Even if we suppose that the verse in question was composed in the life-time of that Sultān, who died in 1315 A. D., the Sāhitya-darpaṇa may be presumed to have been composed at a date not earlier than 1300 A. D. At any rate, if this historical deduction is permissible, we may assign Viśvanātha to a period between 1300 and 1350 A. D., or roughly in the first half of the 14th century¹.