Dhundhiraja of Svamimalai

Dhundhi-raja was also known as Dhundhi-raja-vyasa-yajvan or Dhundhi-raja-yajvan, yajvan being the title accorded to a person who had performed a ritual sacrifice (yajna). King Shahaji I gave him the title Abhinava-Jayadeva ("the new Jayadeva") for writing Shaha-vilasa-gita, a free adaptation of Jayadeva's Gita-govinda. Dhundhi-raja was a Marathi-speaking brahmin, originally from Varanasi. His father's name was Lakshmana-vyasa alias Lakshmana-sudhi. In the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom, Dhundhi-raja resided at Svamimalai near Thanjavur. His patrons included several members of the Thanjavur court, including the kings Shahaji I and Serfoji I, as well as the ministers Tryambaka and Raghunatha. He describes himself as a pauranika (Purana story-teller) of Shahaji. Dhundhi-raja had a son named Balakrishna, and a grandson named Shankara-dikshita, who composed Pradyumna-vijaya. == Works ==

• Shaha-vilasa-gita or Shaha-vilasa-gitam (IAST: Śāhavilāsagīta or Śāhavilāsagītam), a poem adapted from Gita-govinda. It celebrates the love between king Shahaji I and a courtesan. • Mudra-rakshasa-vyakhya (IAST: Mudrārākṣasavyakhya), a commentary on Mudrarakshasa The introductory verses in Dhundhi-raja's Mudra-rakshasa-vyakhya are same as those of his patron Tryambaka's Dharmākūta: it is possible that Tryambaka took these verses from Dhundhi-raja's work. Alternative theories ascribe the authorship of Mudra-rakshasa-vyakhya to Tryambaka or the authorship of Dharmākūta to Dhundhi-raja. == References ==