Hindu Law and Custom (Recht und Sitte) c7.325

c7.325

Lakṣmīdhara¹, the first minister (*sāmdhivigrahika*) of a king Govindacandra is the author of Kṛtya or Smṛtikalpataru or Smṛtikalpadruma which in 12 Kāṇḍas deals with Śrāddha, Dāna, Pratiṣṭhā, Śuddhi, Tīrtha and other features of the sacred law as well as with the duties of kings (*rājadharma*) and procedure (*vyavahāra*). Perhaps the patron of Lakṣmīdhara is identical with the powerful Govindacandra of Kānyakubja, and documents about this king cover the period from 1105 to 1143. At all events Lakṣmīdhara is quoted already by Hemādri and in the Smṛtyarthasāra (see below) and in his turn quotes Medhātithi (9. cent., see § 11) among the commentators, so that he can very probably be assigned to the first half of the 12. century, if not earlier. He s quoted also in various other works from every part of India besides the two above-mentioned ones,—such as the Madanapārijāta, Madanaratna, Vivādacintāmaṇi and Vivādaratnākara, Sarasvatīvilāsa, Vīramitrodaya, and by Kamalākara, Raghunandana, etc.