SANSKRIT IN THE REIGN OF MANAVIKRAMA OF KOZHIKODE - Part II

    Among the nineteen poets patronized by the king ManaVikraman, Uddanda Sastri alias Uddanda Kavi has praised his patron the king ManaVikraman in his works KokilaSandesam - a lyrical poem  and the play  Mallika-Marutam.  Among those nineteen poets, Uddanda Kavi was little haughty and overbearing.

KokolaSandesam is modelled after Kalidasa’s MeghaSandesam.  In the kokilaSandesam, a message is sent through a bird Kokila (Cuckoo) by a lover from Kanchi in the Chingleput districts of the Madras Presidency to his sweetheart in Chendamangalam (Jayantamangalam).        

MallikaMarutam is an imitation of Bhavabhuti’s MalatiMadhavam in 10 acts and belongs to Prakarana type.  It describe the story of the love between Mallika, daughter of Visvavasu who is the minister of Vidyadhara king, and Maruta, the son of Brahmadatta who is the minister of the king of Kuntala.

Another scholar and a descendent of Payyur Bhattas, among the nineteen poets, was none another than Paramesvara I, who was the son of  Rsi I and Gauri.  He was a great scholar, critic and poet.  He has authored several works viz., Sumanoramani a commentary on MeghaSandesam, Jushadhvamkarani and Svaditankarani commentaries on Vacaspati-Misra’s NyayaKanika, HariCarita - a short poem in praise of Lord Vishnu and NyayaSamuccayam - a work on Mimamsa system.

This Paramesvara I had five sons: Rsi I, Bhavadasa II, Vasudeva I, Subrahmanya and Sankara.  They also like their father became renowned by their erudition in the Sastric and poetic field and ceaselessly passed over the same through their lineage.