| Somadeva | |
|---|---|
| Language | Sanskrit  |
Somadeva was an 11th century CE writer from Kashmir. He was the author of a famous compendium of Indian legends, fairy tales and folk tales - the Kathasaritsagara.
Not much is known about him except that his father's name was Rama and he composed his work (probably during the years 1063-81 CE) for the entertainment of the queen Suryamati, a princess of Jalandhara and wife of King Ananta of Kashmir. The queen was quite distraught as it was a time when the political situation in Kashmir was 'one of discontent, intrigue, bloodshed and despair'.
Though he was a Shaiva Brahmin, he was respectful of Buddhism and some of the tales in the Kathasaritsagara show Buddhist influences.
References
- The Katha Sarit Sagara, or Ocean of the Streams of Story, Translated by C.H.Tawney, 1880
External links
- Works by Somadeva Bhatta at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Somadeva Bhatta at Internet Archive
- Works by Somadeva at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- Somadeva Bhaṭṭa at Library of Congress Authorities, with 43 catalogue records
- Works by or about Somadeva Bhaṭṭa in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
