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prabandha

Prabandha is a genre of medieval Indian literature comprising descriptive and biographical narratives that recount the deeds of rulers, saints, and notable families. The term derives from Sanskrit prabandha, meaning an account or narrative, and the genre is found in Sanskrit as well as vernacular languages across the Indian subcontinent.

These works were produced from roughly the 6th to the 16th centuries and include prose compositions in

Although they are valued as sources for regional and courtly history, prabandhas mix fact with religious ideology

Notable examples include Merutunga’s Prabandha-Chintamani (12th century, Gujarati), a key text in Gujarat’s literary historiography, along

Sanskrit,
Prakrit,
Apabhramsha,
as
well
as
Gujarati,
Marathi,
Kannada,
Tamil,
and
other
regional
languages.
Prabandhas
typically
present
multi-layered
narratives
that
combine
history
with
legend.
They
often
include
genealogies,
descriptions
of
cities
and
temples,
lists
of
donations
and
patronage,
miraculous
events,
pilgrim
itineraries,
and
eulogies
of
patrons
and
dynasties.
and
legend,
which
means
historians
treat
them
cautiously
and
corroborate
with
inscriptions,
coins,
and
other
independent
records.
Their
reliability
varies,
and
they
frequently
reflect
the
worldview,
religious
orientation,
and
political
aims
of
their
compilers.
with
other
regional
prabandhas
produced
in
Kannada,
Marathi,
and
additional
languages
during
the
medieval
period.
Prabandha
literature
continued
into
early
modern
times
and
influenced
later
historiography
and
hagiography,
shaping
how
communities
remembered
rulers,
saints,
and
sacred
sites.