Chapter 26.3 - The Alankara School of Poetics

The first work of this school is the Kavyalankara of Bhamaha which has focused on the Alankaras. He accepts alankrti, ornamentation (by means of figures of speech) or camatkrti (charm) produced thereby to be the soul of poetry. He does not accept Rasa and Bhava to be independent entities. He mentions and explains thirty-eight Alankaras. The next great authority of this School is Dandin who in the third chapter, Pariccheda of his Kavyadarsa treats Alankaras. No other work carries such a detailed treatment of Upama and Yamaka as does his Kavyadarsa. The next rhetorician who has presented a scientific treatment of Alankaras which includes their classification also is Udbhata. By his time the Alankaras had touched the figure of 50. Vamana in his Kavyalankara propounded the view that Alankaras not only embellish the exterior of poetry but also its interior. In his time the Alankaras touched the figure of 70. After him the figure went on swelling. The other Acaryas who dealt with the Alankaras were Mammata, Pratiharenduraja, Ruyyaka, Bhoja, Rajasekhara, Jayadeva, Visvanatha, Ruyyaka, Appayadiksita and Panditaraja Jagannatha. The Alankaras caught the imagination of rhetoricians so much CC-0. that the discipline of Poetics came to acquire the alternate name of Alankarasastra.