पृष्ठम्:विक्रमाङ्कदेवचरितम् - बिल्हण.pdf/२६

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INTRODUCTION.
1
assent, as Parmadi is a well known surname of Tribhuvanamalla-
Vikramaditya, and as Bilhana's own statements as to his posi-
tion and the honours paid to him in Kalyapa (XVIII. 106) agree
exactly with Kalhapa's words.
If, therefore, Bilhana lived to see Harshadeva's accession to
the throne, which happened in 1088, the Vikramankadevacharita,
which speaks of Harsha as a prince, must have been written
before that date.
The statement of the Rijatarangini that Bilhana left Kash-
mir during the reign of king Kalas'a must, however, be referred
to the time between 1062-1080, when Kalas'a was nominal
ruler, not to the period of his actual reign. For, as Billana
travelled over a great part of India, stopping in various towns
for some time and as he had stayed at Vikrama's court a number of
years before he wrote the Charita, the period of eight years
between 1080-1088 is not long enough to contain all these events.
It seems therefore, highly probable that the departure of
Bilhana from Kashmir took place aliortly after Kalas'a's first
coronation in 1062 and the following additional arguments may be
adduced in support of this assertion. Firstly a period of twenty
to twenty-five years is not too long to be filled by the poet's
wanderings and residence at Kalyana. Secondly Pandits usually
go on their travels at the age of 20-26. As Bilhana states
XVIII. 86, that he left his country after completing his studies, it
must be supposed that he did so about the same age. Now, in the
Vikramânkadevacharita, he also professes as mentioned above, that
he has done with the vanities of this world and longs for the life
of a Samnyâsî. Consequently he must have been an old man-at
least for India-of about 50 years, and this consideration also re-
1. See J. R. As. Soc. IV. 4. The title is also used in the Kumârapa-
lacharita.
2. See XVIII. 101, where the poet gives clearly to understand that
he had enjoyed the favour of his patron for a long time.