Alessandro Battistini gave a lecture on the many forms assumed by Sanskrit classical poetry when inspired by Śaiva motifs and devotion typical of the South.
We started from the curious case of the Virūpākṣavasantotsavacampū, a true poetic ‘reportage’ of Śaiva festivals in Vijayanagara, extremely rich in informations about everyday (religious) life of medieval India.
Then, we focused on the poetic qualities of Utprekṣāvallabha, the poet who blended erotic poetry and Śaiva devotion in his Bhikṣāṭanakāvya, the Poem for the [Divine] Beggar.
This small tour ended with the assessment of some unpublished works surviving only in manuscripts, such as the Śivanāṭaka, a Play for Śiva staged in courtly environments, and the Śivodaya, a poem celebrating the Triumph of Śiva in punning verses.
