Bilhana: the Great Kashmiri Poet

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A famous 11th-century Kashmiri poet, Bilhana ‘s claim to fame is his love poem, Caurapancasika (Fifty Stanzas of the Thief’). In a class of its own, Caurapancasika describes the secret love of a bold housebreaker and a princess and is full of intense emotion. Born in Kashmir, Bilhana left his native place to seek employment in the court of Later Chalukyas.

Bilhana is known for composing a eulogy of the great Western Chalukyan ruler Vikramaditya VI titled Vikramankadevacharita (“Deeds of Vikramaditya). It is stated in Vikramankadevacharita that Vikramaditya VI was asked by Shiva to replace his elder brother who was the reigning Chalukya monarch.

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