Sangita Ratnakara - Patronage in The Devagiri Court

Patronage in The Devagiri Court

The court of the Yadavas of Devagiri, in which the Sangita Ratnakara was written, had an impressive history of patronage of the arts, literature and science that provided Sharngadeva with a conducive environment for scholarship. Bhaskaracharya, the outstanding mathematician and astronomer produced his Siddhanta-Siromani, an exposition on algebra, shortly before Yadava independence. His son Lakshmidhara was an astrologer in Jaitugu's court and his grandson, Changadeva, held the same position during Singhana's time. In 1207, Singhana established school for the study of the works of Bhaskaracharya. The aforementioned Changadeva was head of the school. Anantadeva, Changadeva's cousin, was also a great astronomer in Singhana's court. He produced a commentary on the Brhadjataka, an ancient text on astrology, and a discussion on the Brahmasphutasiddhanta of Brahmagupta, a 7th century text on mathematics. In the time after Singhana's rule, Hemadri, a high administrator in the Devagiri court, wrote an incredibly detailed treatise on religious practice called the Caturvarga-Cintamani. Bopadeva, one of Hemadri's contemporaries, wrote a number scholarly works while in the Devagiri court, including more than one book on Ayurveda and a commentary on the Bhagavata purana, a religious text. Jnanadeva wrote his Jnanesvari, an important piece of early Marathi literature, under the rule of the later Yadava Kings. Clearly, the Devagiri court was an accommodating environment for scholarly endeavors.