Biographical Sketches of Dekkan Poets/Lakshmana kavi
LAKSHMANA KAVI.
This poet was a Smarta Bramin of the Varanasi tribe, and a native of Bandar Sircar, he was the son of Venkatesa Kavi and lived in the fifteenth ceutury of Salivahana. In early life he studied the Telugu and Sanscrit language, and spent fifteen years in the perusal of ancient books, written on various subjects, especially beautiful poetic compositions. Lakshmana kept company with the public dancers, and accurately observed their various postures and motions, as described in the work called Bharata, but finding himself despised by respectable people, on account of his associating with common singers and dancers, he determined to relinquish their society, as such was derogatory to his character, and avail himself of his knowledge in poetry to compose some work deserving the regard of the learned. By the advice of several pundits he resolved to complete the Bhoja Champu, commonly called Champu Ramayana, only five books of which had been written during the life time of Bhoja Raja, in consequence of the death of Kalidas; and no one since had been able to finish the Poem. Lakshmana undertook to complete the task, and produced the sixth book of that celebrated work, called Yuda Kanda, consisting of about two thousand verses. This effort procured for our poet great renown, and obtained for him the title of Bhoja Champu Lakshmana—Sarud Raja conferred on him marks, of distinction and presents, and his book was studied in different Colleges. Lakshmana died at Masulipatam, when fifty five years of age.