Brihatkathamanjari was written by:

Question

Brihatkathamanjari was written by:

1. A. Gunadhya
2. B. Harisena
3. C. Lal Ded
4. D. Kshemendra (Correct answer)

Correct Answer

Option D — Kshemendra

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Kshemendra.

Key Points

• Brihatkathamanjari was written by Kshemendra, an eleventh-century Sanskrit poet and polymath of Kashmir.
• It is a condensed Sanskrit verse retelling of the lost *Brihatkatha* of Gunadhya, which was originally composed in the Paishachi Prakrit and has not survived.
• Kshemendra lived during the reign of King Ananta of Kashmir and was a pupil of the great aesthetician Abhinavagupta.

Additional Information

• Why the distractors are placed as they are:
  • Gunadhya wrote the original *Brihatkatha* in Paishachi — Kshemendra summarised it, he did not author it.
  • Harisena was the court poet of Samudragupta and composed the Allahabad Pillar Inscription (Prayag Prashasti).
  • Lal Ded (Lalleshwari) was the fourteenth-century Kashmiri mystic poet of the *vakhs*, a foundational figure in Kashmiri language and Shaivite devotion.
• Kshemendra's other works include *Samaya Matrika*, *Narmamala*, *Kalavilasa*, *Darpadalana* and *Deshopadesha* — several of them satirical works exposing corruption among officials, priests and merchants, which makes him an unusual source for social history.
• Somadeva, another Kashmiri, produced the better-known *Kathasaritsagara* — a longer retelling of the same lost *Brihatkatha*, composed slightly later.
• **Kalhana's *Rajatarangini*** (twelfth century), also from Kashmir, is regarded as the first work of genuine historical writing in Sanskrit.