Encyclopaedia Of Kalidasa Literature

Many oriental and occidental scholars have written commentaries on the works of Kalidasa (particularly on the two epic poems and the Meghadûta). The most studied ones are those of Kolachala Mallinatha Suri, written in the 15th century during the reign of the Vijayanagar king, Deva Raya II. The earliest surviving commentaries appear to be those of the tenth-century Kashmirian scholar Vallabhadeva. Eminent Sanskrit poets like BaGabhamma, Jayadeva and Rajasekhara have lavished praise on Kalidasa in their tributes. Anandavardhana, a highly revered critic, considered Kalidasa to be one of the greatest sanskrit poets ever. Only a tiny handful of the hundreds of pre-modern Sanskrit commentaries on Kalidasa’s works have been published to date. Such commentaries furnish evidence of a gradual revision of the his poetry over the centuries. The book contains the literary work of Kalidasa.