13. Balarama-vijaya by Sitarama

Balarama Vijaya [Balaramavijaya]^[1] is a historical campus which deals with the heroic exploits of prince Balarama, the heir-apparent to the throne of Bimbala^[2]. The author of the work is Sitarama as is mentioned in the beginning of the Campu. According to Dr. K. Kunhunni Raja^[3], Sitarama was a cola writer the patronage of king Ramavarma of Vatakkumkur. The editor says that Sitarama was the son of Vaidyanatha Makhi^[4]. The editors statement in his contribution that the authors teacher was Vaidyanatha Makhi is also incorrect. The poet states that he is a student of the well known poet Ramabhadra Diksita^[5]. Dr. Raja assigns the author [Sitarama] to the 18th C. AD. Dr. S. Venkita-subrahmania Iyer states that the poet gives some idea of the nature of warfare in the 17th century^[6]. Vatakkumkur places the author in the latter half of the 17th century^[7].

The Balarama Vijaya begins with a description of Malaya mountain and ends with hero’s marriage with Parvati, the heroine. It is devided into two stabakas consisting of verses 201 and 120 respectively. The theme of the work is the war between Vatakkumkur and Tekkumkur. The author is no mean poet. The account of the hero’s welcome which the city gives the Victorians Balarama Varma is picturesque. The mountain Malaya, Uttaravahins^[8], river Valkalesa^[9], the capital city Manaspada^[10] and Balatavi^[11] are described in this campu.