GOLDEN AGE OF SANSKRIT IN DHARA

          Bhoja was a king who became renowned as Sanskrit scholar.  It is believed that he lived from 1018 to 1054 A.D.  His capital city was Dhara.  Bhoja is credited with the authorship of many scholarly books in the field of different branches of Sanskrit.

          Among the works of Bhoja, SarasvatiKanthabharanam is a compendious volume in five chapters dealing with the merits and defects of poetry, figures of speech etc.  This work reveals the scholarship of Bhoja.  SrngaraPrakasah is work on poetics established Srngara=love as the best of the sentiments.  CampuRamayanam is a Campu contains prose and poetry.  The king Bhoja narrated the story of Ramayanam upto SundaraKandam, by following the original of Valmiki very closely.  Later its YuddhaKandam was completed by the great poet Sri Lakshmana Suri in the 19^th A.D.

          NamaTalika a lexicographical treatise, Sabdanusasanam on Grammar, SamaranganaSutraDharam on Architecture, Aurveda-Sarvasvam on medicine, RajaMrgankam on Astrology etc were the other famous works of the scholarly king Bhoja.

          After his period, the king those who were followed the same style of this great king Bhoja, in composing Sanskrit works, ruling the kingdom, protecting the people, KrishnadevaRaya was called as AndhraBhoja.  Later, Maratha King by name Sahaji I of Tanjore was called BhosalanvayaBhoja in the 18^th century A.D.