| Fetchwikidata: | ALL |
| Somadeva Bhatta | |
| Birth Place: | Kashmir, India |
| Occupation: | Poet, writer |
| Period: | 11th century CE |
| Notableworks: | Kathasaritasagara |
Somadeva, also known as Somadeva Bhatta, was an 11th century writer from Kashmir. He is best known for his work Kathasaritsagara.[1]
Somadeva is believed to have lived in Kashmir, a region in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, during the 11th century CE. He was a Shaivite Brahmin scholar and a court poet, serving in the court of King Ananta of Kashmir. Somadeva's most famous work, "Katha Sarit Sagara," is a vast compilation of stories and folktales drawn from various sources, including earlier Indian texts, oral traditions, and the literary heritage of Kashmir.[2] The work is divided into 18 books (or lambakas), each containing a series of interconnected stories within a larger narrative framework. Most of his work was composed under Ananta's patronage and were composed for Ananta's queen, Suryamati, a princess of Jalandhara.
