Mahisasatakam of Vanchanatha

Mahisasatakam of Vanchanatha (also known as Vanchesvara and a descendent of Govinda Diksita) is a century of verses written in eighteenth century. Vanchanatha’s father served as minister in Tanjore court. The Tanjore Bhonsle synasty starts with Vyankoji (half brother of great Shivaji Bhonsle) who founded the kingdom. Shahji, his successor, ruled from 1684 to 1712 AD. Vanchanatha’s father was a minister during Shahji’s reign. Vanchanatha was born in Shahjipuram Agrahara on the banks of Kaveri River. Mahisasatakam is poem of protest and provides rare experience of rural India. It has been translated in English and Hindi for the first time. This translation would hopefully revive the interest of researchers and students of Indology in diverse traditions of Sanskrit literature.

This new edition of Mahisasatakam has been prepared by Radhavallabh Tripathi after correcting readings from two available editions.