Bṛhatkathā

E904267

Bṛhatkathā is an ancient, now-lost Indian narrative epic, traditionally attributed to Guṇāḍhya, that became the source for several later Sanskrit and regional story collections.

All labels observed (6)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Indian narrative epic
Prakrit literature
lost literary work
story collection
associatedFigure Guṇāḍhya
associatedKing Sātavāhana
linked to: Satavahana dynasty
author Guṇāḍhya
countryOfOrigin India
culturalContext ancient India
etymology title means “Great Story” in Sanskrit
genre narrative literature
romantic epic
influenced Bṛhatkathāmañjarī
Bṛhatkathāślokasaṃgraha
Kathāsaritsāgara
linked to: Bṛhatkathā

Perunkathai
Vasudevahiṃḍī
later Sanskrit prose romances
medieval Indian narrative literature
various regional Indian story cycles
language Paiśācī Prakrit
linked to: Paisaci Prakrit
literaryTradition kathā narrative tradition
mainProtagonist Naravāhanadatta
narrativeFrame stories of Naravāhanadatta
originalLanguage Paiśācī
preservationStatus survives only through adaptations
region Deccan
linked to: Deccan Plateau
relatedWork Bṛhatkathāmañjarī
Bṛhatkathāślokasaṃgraha
Kathāsaritsāgara
religiousContext primarily secular
scholarlyDebate authorship details
exact date of composition
original language identification
setting Vidarbha region
sourceFor Buddhistic Bṛhatkathāślokasaṃgraha
Kṣemendra’s Bṛhatkathāmañjarī
Somadeva’s Kathāsaritsāgara
linked to: Bṛhatkathā
status lost
textualTransmission known from later Sanskrit recensions
theme adventures of a prince
fantastic journeys
love and romance
supernatural beings
timePeriod likely early centuries CE
traditionalAuthor Guṇāḍhya

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (8)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Paisaci Prakrit reputedMajorWork Bṛhatkathā
Hayavadana inspiredBy Katha Sarit Sagara
linked to: Bṛhatkathā
Paiśācī attestedIn Bṛhatkathā tradition
linked to: Bṛhatkathā
Paiśācī associatedWork Bṛhatkathā
Paiśācī associatedWork Bṛhatkathāmañjarī
linked to: Bṛhatkathā
Paiśācī associatedWork Kathāsaritsāgara
linked to: Bṛhatkathā
Bṛhatkathā influenced Kathāsaritsāgara
linked to: Bṛhatkathā
Bṛhatkathā sourceFor Somadeva’s Kathāsaritsāgara
linked to: Bṛhatkathā