Jyotirishwar Thakur


Jyotirishwar Thakur or was a Maithil poet and an early Maithili and Sanskrit writer, known for the Varṇa Ratnākara, his encyclopedic work in Maithili.

Life

Jyotirishwar was son of and grandson of. He was the court poet of King Harisimhadeva of Karnata dynasty of Mithila.

Major works

His most significant work in Maithili, the ' is an encyclopedic work in prose. This work contains descriptions of various subjects and situations. This work provides valuable information about the life and culture of medieval India. The text is divided into seven Kallolas :,,,,, and. An incomplete list of 84 Siddhas is found in the text, which consists only 76 names. A manuscript of this text is preserved in the Asiatic Society, Kolkata.
His major Sanskrit play, the ' is a two act Prahasana. The play relates the contest between a religious mendicant and his disciple over a lovely courtesan whom the Brahmin arbitrator keeps for himself. Superior characters in this drama speak in Sanskrit, inferior characters speak in Prakrit and the songs are in Maithili.
His another Sanskrit work, the in five parts deals with the same topics which are dealt in the other standard works on the Kama Sutra|.