'Vikramankadevacharita', a biography (eulogy) of the Chalukya king Vikramaditya VI of Kalyani, was written by the Kashmiri poet:

"Vikramankadevacharita" is a Sanskrit historical poem written by the Kashmiri poet Bilhana, in praise of the Western Chalukya king Vikramaditya VI of Kalyani.

About Bilhana:

• He was born in the 11th century in Khonamusa, near Srinagar, Kashmir.
• He left Kashmir and travelled across India, visiting Mathura, Kannauj, Prayag, Varanasi, Gujarat and other places, in search of royal patronage.
• He finally reached the court of Vikramaditya VI at Kalyani (in present-day Karnataka), who honoured him and made him his chief court poet (Vidyapati).

About the Vikramankadevacharita:

• It is a mahakavya (epic poem) in 18 cantos.
• It describes the life and achievements of Vikramaditya VI, and the history of the Chalukyas of Kalyani.
• It describes his wars, his victory over his elder brother Someshvara II, and his marriage to a princess (chosen at a swayamvara).
• In the last canto, Bilhana gives an account of his own life and his native land, Kashmir.
• It is one of the important historical poems of early medieval India, though it is written in a poetic and exaggerated style.

About Vikramaditya VI:

• He ruled from 1076 to 1126 CE, and was the greatest ruler of the Western Chalukyas of Kalyani.
• He started a new era, the "Chalukya-Vikrama era", in 1076 CE.
• He was a patron of learning; the scholar Vijnaneshwara also lived at his court.

Other works of Bilhana:

• "Chaurapanchashika" ("Fifty Stanzas of a Secret Love"): a famous love poem.
• "Karnasundari": a play.
• Other Kashmiri writers include Kshemendra, author of the Brihatkathamanjari.
• Good to know
• Kashmir produced many other important Sanskrit writers in this period.