kavya

Kavya is a term in Indian literary theory that denotes a class of refined, elevated poetry characterized by ornate diction, stylized composition, and the aim of producing aesthetic pleasure (rasa) in the audience. The name derives from kavi, meaning “poet,” with the abstract suffix -ya, and in traditional Sanskrit poetics it denotes poetry as an art distinct from everyday speech, epic narrative, or drama.

In classical poetics, kavya emphasizes the artistry of language, metaphor, and rhetorical devices (alankara), as well as complex narrative structures. Kavya often seeks to evoke specific rasas, or aesthetic flavors, through careful arrangement of imagery, emotion, and suggestion rather than direct description. Works commonly regarded as kavya include Kalidasa’s Abhijnanasakuntalam, Raghuvamsha, and Kumarasambhava, as well as poems by Bhavabhuti and Bharavi. The field is associated with treatises that codify its rules, notably Rudrata’s Kavyalankara and Mammata’s Kavyaprakasha, which outline poetics, alankara, rasa, and the mahakavya form.

Historically, the kavya tradition developed in Sanskrit and other Indian languages from late antiquity through the medieval period, influencing regional literatures in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, and beyond. While the mahakavya is a prominent kavya subtype, shorter kavya compositions such as khandakavya and campu-style works are also recognized.

In modern usage, kavya is often used to refer to poetry that adheres to classical aesthetics, though the term may also describe poetic works in contemporary Indian languages.