Vidyapati Thakkura

   The author of the Sanskrit text Purusha-pariksha (The Test of a Man) was attached to the Mithila (north Bi-har) rulers Deva Simha (?-1412) and his successors. Vidyapati Thakkura wrote another book, Shaiva-sarvasva-sara (Quintessence of Shaiva), on the order of Queen Visvasa Devi. The Purushaparik-sha is a collection of tales that often refer to historical characters, in-cluding rulers of the Delhi sultanate. These stories throw interesting sidelights on the social norms and ethical values of the period. Inter-estingly enough, these tend to show that religious hatred or differ-ences did not figure prominently in the conflicts that frequently cropped up between the sultans and Hindu chiefs. Among Vidya-pati's writings in Apabrahmsha, Kirti-lata (The Creeping Glory) is well known. His songs in the Maithili dialect dealing with the legend of Krishna and Radha are still popular in eastern India.