Editing Prakrit (section)

== Literature ==
[[File:Suryaprajnapati Sutra.jpg|thumb|right|350px|The Sūryaprajñaptisūtra, an astronomical work written in Jain Prakrit language (in [[Devanagari]] book script), {{circa|1500}}]]
Literary Prakrit was among the main languages of the classical Indian culture.{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=6}} [[Daṇḍin|Dandin]]'s ''[[Kavyadarsha|Kavya-darsha]]'' ({{Circa|700}}) mentions four kinds of literary languages: Sanskrit, Prakrit, [[Apabhramsha]], and mixed.{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=4}} [[Bhoja]]'s ''[[Sarasvati-Kanthabharana]]'' (11th century) lists Prakrit among the few languages suitable for composition of literature.{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=6}} Mirza Khan's ''Tuhfat al-hind'' (1676) names Prakrit among the three kinds of literary languages native to India, the other two being Sanskrit and the vernacular languages. It describes Prakrit as a mixture of Sanskrit and vernacular languages, and adds that Prakrit was "mostly employed in the praise of kings, ministers, and chiefs".{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=1}}

During a large period of the first millennium, literary Prakrit was the preferred language for the fictional romance in India. Its use as a language of systematic knowledge was limited, because of Sanskrit's dominance in this area, but nevertheless, Prakrit texts exist on topics such as grammar, [[lexicography]], metrics, alchemy, medicine, [[divination]], and [[gemology]].{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=8}} In addition, the [[Jainism|Jains]] used Prakrit for religious literature, including commentaries on the Jain canonical literature, stories about Jain figures, moral stories, hymns and expositions of Jain doctrine.{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|pp=8–9}} Prakrit is also the language of some [[Shaiva]] ''tantras'' and [[Vaishnava]] hymns.{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=9}}

Besides being the primary language of several texts, Prakrit also features as the language of low-class men and most women in the [[Indian classical drama|Sanskrit stage plays]].{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=7}} American scholar Andrew Ollett traces the origin of the Sanskrit [[Kāvya|Kavya]] to Prakrit poems.{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=15}}

Some of the texts that identify their language as Prakrit include:

* [[Hāla]]'s ''[[Gaha Sattasai]]'' ({{Circa|1st or 2nd century}}), anthology of single verse poems{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=7}}
* [[Anandavardhana|Ananda-vardhana]]'s 	now-lost ''God of Five Arrows at Play'', poem{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=7}}
* [[Sarvasena]]'s ''Hari-vijaya'' (late 4th century), epic{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=8}}
* [[Pravarasena II]]'s ''Ravana-vaho'' (early 5th century), epic{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=8}}
* Palitta's ''Tarangavati'' (probably 1st or 2nd century), fictional romance{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=8}}
* Palitta's ''Rasikaprakāśana'' or ''Brilliance of the Connoisseurs''{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=10}}
* Vakpati's ''[[Gaudavaho]]'' (c. 8th century)<ref>{{cite book |editor=N. G. Suru |title=Gaudavaho by Vakpatiraja |year=1975 |series=Prakrit Text Series No. 18 |publisher=Prakrit Text Society |location=Ahmedabad |oclc=463112812 |page=xcviii|url=https://jainqq.org/explore/001364/1 }}</ref>
* Haribhadra's ''Samaraditya-charitra'' (c. 8th century), fictional romance{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=8}}
* Uddyotana's ''[[Kuvalaya-mālā|Kuvalaya-mala]]'' (779 CE), fictional romance{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|pp=8, 21}}
* Kautuhala's ''Lilavati'' or Kouhala's ''Lilavai'' (c. 8th century), fictional romance{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=8}}
* Madhuka's ''Haramekhalā'' or ''Hara's Belt'' (10th century), a compendium covering a wide range of topics, such as casting love spells and treating [[snakebite]]s
* Jineshvara's ''Treasury of Gatha-Jewels'' (1194), anthology of verses{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=9}}
* Addahamana's ''Sandesha-rasaka'' (13th century), a [[message poem]]; the author states that his family came from "the land of the Muslims", which suggests that Addahamana is the Prakrit variant of 'Abd ur-Rahman.{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=9}}