Despite the fact that it is the most comprehensive and sustained body of literary analysis in pre-modern India, in some ways the most germane – in view of the range of issues treated that are pertinent to reading actually existing Sanskrit literature – and, in its organization, style and plethora of citations and analysis perhaps the most fascinating.īhoja’s discourse on Rasa is the most detailed and provocative we have and the most unusual, often differing from Bharata and those who follow him] History has been unfair to Srngara Prakasa. The renowned scholar Sheldon Pollock observes:
Raghavan and, later published by Harvard University, under its Oriental Series. It was brought to the attention of the scholars worldwide in 1963, by Dr. [Despite all its stated virtues, Bhoja’s Srngara Prakasa did not, for a long-time, receive the attention it deserved mainly because of its inordinate length (more than twice that of Bharata’s Natyashastra) and, its manuscript was recovered late and published only in 1955 by Sri C. The range and depth of the work is quite appreciable. However, he discusses dramaturgy in detail and his analysis of Srngara is unique, covering as it does the types of Srngara and its expression in dramatic presentation. Like Bharata, Bhoja discusses the characteristics of the Sanskrit language but, does so even more elaborately than Bharata, although-surprisingly-Bhoja omits prosody, which is closely related to poetics. It seems from the treatment of the subject that Bhoja wanted to write a work similar to the Natyasastra. Raghavan points out, “Bhoja seems to be the first writer, whose work is available to us now, who embraced both branches ( poetics and dramaturgy) and, wrote in the same work on both. Raghavan called it as the richest Indian text in Sanskrit poetics and remarked ‘Whatever is found in Srngara Prakasa is found elsewhere and, that which is not found in this work cannot be found elsewhere.’ĭr. While illustrating the encyclopedic nature of the text, Dr. Raghavan, who edited Raja Bhoja’s monumental work ‘ भोज गश्रांगार प्रकाश (1962)’, described it as the largest known work in the field of literary criticism and aesthetics in the whole range of classical Sanskrit literature. The Sarasvathi-kanta-abharana (ornament in the neck of goddess Sarasvathi), is a treatise on Sanskrit grammar and Alankara-shastra (Poetics) an elaborate text of 643 verses, enriched by as many as 1,563 examples (or illustrations), spread over five chapters.Īnd, Raja Bhoja’s other work Sriranga-prakasa, a treatise in 36 chapters dealing with both poetics and dramaturgy, is more widely known. And his fame as an author with refined tastes rests mainly on his two major works: Sriranga-prakasa and Sarasvathi-kanta-abharana. But, literary criticism, poetics, aesthetics and particularly the Rasa doctrine in its various forms seemed to be his favourite subjects. Raja Bhoja is credited with the authorship of numerous books, covering an enormous range of topics. But, his fame as the greatest scholar-king of medieval India an enlightened patron of learning and, an accomplished erudite author remains undimmed.Īs a ruler, he is said to have emphasised the importance of education in ones’ life and, in his capital city Dhara-nagari, he set up a center for learning Sanskrit at Sarasvatisadana or Bhartibhavana, over which he presided. Though Raja Bhoja reigned gloriously for more than forty years the battles he fought are mostly forgotten. Bhoja fought many battles, with varying degrees of success. He had a strong alliance with the powerful King of South – Rajendra Chola and, had even helped the Shahi Kings to resist the attacks of Mohammad of Ghazni. He had a vast kingdom in the Central/ Western India. It is said the city of Bhopal is named after Raja Bhoja.īhoja was a warrior, a capable military commander and, was also politically very active. His capital was located at Dhara-nagara (modern Dhar, in the Malwa region of western Madhya Pradesh ). His kingdom comprised the Malwa region in Central India and parts of Gujarat.
Raja Bhoja or Raja Bhoja-deva Paramara was a king from the Paramara dynasty, who ruled between 1010–1055 CE. Insofar as Dance is concerned, it is relevant for the discussions carried out in its Eleventh Chapter, dealing with various types of minor plays ( Uparupakas) or musical Dance-dramas. T he Srngaraprakasa of Raja Bhoja (10-11 th century) is a work spread over thirty-six chapters, which deals, principally, with poetics ( Alamkara shastra) and dramaturgy.