The fundamental distinction between the Kalhana and the Prashastis is that the Prashastis was written by knowledgeable Brahmans in favor of the monarchs and did not include any critical critique of the emperors' policies. The Kalhana, on the other hand, was a non-Brahman mercenary who wrote his history from the Indian point of view.
Kalhana's writings reflect the ideology of the Rajputs, who were the main supporters of the monarchy. He praised the virtues of the warrior class and criticized the Brahmins, who were then considered the elite of society. Kalhana also reflected the interests of the merchants and artisans since they were the only ones to benefit economically from the activities of the imperial court. He wrote about past events as well as current affairs including criticisms of the government practices.
In addition, he included stories from ancient literature with the aim of entertaining his readers. These stories were already popular at the time they were used in his work and they show how much knowledge the writers of these tales had about different cultures and religions. For example, he told stories about Krishna and Arjuna from the Mahabharata and Moses and Aaron from the Bible.
"Prashasti" is a Sanskrit phrase that means "in honor of." They contained descriptions of religious practices, rituals, and ceremonies that were important for king to know about. By contrast, the Kalhana's writings included accounts of wars, politics, economics, culture, etc.
The Prashastis were originally written in Sanskrit but some of them have also been found translated into Middle Tamil (a local language at that time). They provide valuable information on religion, music, art, literature, and science during the reign of various kings of south India.
Kalhanasambandar, a 13th century chronicler from southern India, has left us with only one work: the Kalhanatmya, which is considered as one of the most important sources for studying early history of Sri Lanka.
In addition to this, he has also written an autobiography called "Kalivayanasambandar Charithram". This text describes his life from its birth until the age of 30. It contains stories about his ancestors and friends as well as events that took place during his childhood. These stories help us understand why he became a monk and what influenced him to write about ancient times.
Kalhana's poem "Rajtarangini" gave a historical chronicle of life in medieval Kashmir and had little to do with the court life of monarchs and their sponsors. The prashastis written by the Brahmins, on the other hand, lauded the kings and their sponsors and were largely about their court life. Thus, the Kalhana writing was more realistic.
Kalhana was a brilliant Sanskrit poet who authored a lengthy Sanskrit poem about Kashmir's history. He relied on inscriptions, papers, and eyewitness testimonies, among other sources. He differed from the other Prashastis poets in that he was frequently critical of kings and their policies. Kalhana's poetry also tended to be more philosophical and analytical than that of his contemporaries.
In addition to being a poet, scholar, and historian, Kalhana was also responsible for creating one of India's first libraries. In 822 AD, he built a library inside a cave near his home in Kashmir. This cave remains intact today and is known as Kalhan's Cave. The library contained texts on various subjects including science, medicine, religion, and philosophy. It is said that if you read every book in this library you would need over 100 years to finish!
In addition to building the library, Kalhana wrote about its contents for the entertainment of his friends. These descriptions have been used by later historians to explain things like how astronomers used the positions of the stars to calculate time or what kinds of plants were found in certain regions.
Kalhana lived during an important period in Kashmiri history - after the fall of the Kushan Empire but before the rise of the Muslim rulers. Thus, he can be considered the first author of Kashmiri history.
Kalhana was a twelfth-century author. He had composed a lengthy sanskrit poem detailing the history of Kashmir's monarchs. He was well-known for his story, Rajatarangana. This is considered one of the earliest examples of a serial novel in India.
Besides being an author, Kalhana was also a courtier and minister to several kings. He eventually became chief minister to three successive monarchs - his own son marrying each king in turn. Kalhana wrote about all their wars and conquests in his poem, which has been called "the Kashmiri Alexander's Tale".
This made him famous among the other poets of his time. They used to meet up at different courts to debate poetry and music. Kalhana was the most popular poet of his time and has been described as "India's first celebrity poet".
After his death in 1144 AD, many poems by him were still being written about. His work showed how talented Indian poets can be even before they start writing about royal histories and wars.
Kalhana's father was a trader who later on served as an ambassador for several kingdoms. When he returned home, he started a family with his wife while still in his twenties. He then went back to serve other countries until he died at age forty.