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Asthana Kavi Bāṇabhaṭṭa | |
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| Born | Pritikuta,Pushyabhuti Empire (present-dayBihar, India) |
| Occupation(s) | Poet, writer, author. |
| Works | Harshacharita Kadambari |
| Children | Bhūṣaṇabhaṭṭa (son) |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Mayūrabhaṭṭa (brother-in-law) |
Bāṇabhaṭṭa (Sanskrit:बाणभट्ट) was a 7th-centurySanskrit prose writer and poet fromIndia. He was theAsthana Kavi in the court of theEmperor Harsha, during his reign atKanyakubja. Bāna's principal works include a biography of Harsha, theHarshacharita (The Life of Harsha),[1] and one of the world's earliest novels,Kadambari. Bāṇa died before finishing the novel and it was completed by his son Bhūṣaṇabhaṭṭa. Both these works are noted texts of Sanskrit literature.[2] The other works attributed to him are theCaṇḍikāśataka and a drama, thePārvatīpariṇaya. Banabhatta gets an applause as "Banochhistam Jagatsarvam" meaning Bana has described everything in this world and nothing is left.
A detailed account regarding his ancestry and early life can be reconstructed from the introductory verses attached to theKadambari and the first twoucchāvasas of theHarṣacarita, while the circumstances behind the composition of theHarṣacarita are described in the thirducchāvasa of the text.Harsacarita is considered as the first Indian work which may be regarded as a historical biography. It gives a vivid picture of life in the Indian countryside.[3]
Bāna was born to Chitrabhānu and Rājadevi in the village of Pritikuta in aKanyakubja Brahmin family.[4][5] His mother died early leaving him in the loving care of his father. His father married again and had two more sons. After the death of his father when he was 14, Bāṇa led a colourful and wandering life with his half-brothers for a period but later came back to his native village. Here, on a summer day, on receiving a letter from Krishna, a cousin ofEmperor Harsha, he met the emperor while he was camping near the town of Manitara. After receiving Bāna with mock signs of anger, the emperor showed him much favor.
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