Sanskrit Kāvya Literature

Timeline

1. c. 600–630North Indian courts · North IndiaAfter the Harsha Empire unified North India, it vigorously patronized Sanskrit literature; the court became a gathering place for poets and scholars, and kāvya composition continued the Gupta tradition and enjoyed a new wave of flourishing.
2. c. 640–650Court at Kannauj · Uttar PradeshThe court poet Bāṇa composed the Harshacharita, pioneering a model of biographical kāvya that fused elaborate rhetoric with historical narrative, making it one of the most important works of 7th-century Sanskrit literature.
3. c. 660–700North India · North IndiaIn the second half of the 7th century, kingdoms across the region continued to patronize kāvya composition; rhetorical theory and stylistic norms spread through the court education system, laying down standards for the full flowering of classical literature in the 8th century.