Daṇḍin

Daṇḍi or Daṇḍin (Sanskrit: दण्डि) (fl. 7th–8th century) was an Indian Sanskrit grammarian and author of prose romances. He is one of the best-known writers in Asian history. Daṇḍin's account of his life in Avantisundari-katha-sara states that he was a great-grandson of Dāmodara, a court poet from Achalapura who served, among others, the Pallava king Siṃhaviṣṇu and the Ganga king Durvinīta. Avanti-sundari-katha-sara is the verse version of Avanti-sundari-katha, a prose text attributed to Daṇḍin: it is mostly faithful to the original text, but the original text states that Damodara was a distinct poet, whom Bharavi introduced to prince Vishnuvardhana.