Rajashekhara, the Sanskrit poet and author of 'Karpuramanjari' and 'Kavyamimamsa', was the court poet of:

Rajashekhara, a famous Sanskrit poet, dramatist and critic, was the court poet (and teacher) of the Gurjara-Pratihara king Mahendrapala I, and later of his son Mahipala I, at Kannauj, in the late 9th and early 10th centuries.

About Rajashekhara:

• He came from a family of poets in Maharashtra (Vidarbha region).
• He described himself as the teacher (guru) of Mahendrapala I.
• His wife Avantisundari was a learned woman and a poet, whose opinions he quoted in his works.

His works:

• "Karpuramanjari": a play written entirely in Prakrit (a "sattaka"), about the love of a king and a princess named Karpuramanjari.
• "Kavyamimamsa": a work on poetics and the art of poetry; it discusses the qualities of poets, the sources of poetry, and the geography of India (it describes various regions, rivers and mountains).
• "Balaramayana": a play based on the Ramayana.
• "Balabharata" (or "Prachandapandava"): a play based on the Mahabharata.
• "Viddhashalabhanjika": a romantic comedy.

About the Gurjara-Pratiharas:

• They ruled from Kannauj from the 9th to the 11th centuries.
• They are known for resisting Arab invasions from Sindh.
• Important rulers included Nagabhata II, Mihira Bhoja (836-885 CE) and Mahendrapala I (885-910 CE).
• Under Mihira Bhoja and Mahendrapala I, the Pratihara empire reached its greatest extent.
• The Arab traveller Al-Masudi visited their kingdom in the 10th century.

Other poets and patrons:

• Bhoja of the Paramara dynasty of Malwa (11th century) was himself a great scholar, and wrote on many subjects.
• Amoghavarsha I of the Rashtrakutas was a patron of literature.
• Dharmapala of the Palas was a patron of Buddhism.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Dharmapala, Amoghavarsha I and Bhoja were patrons of other scholars.