Nayachandra Suri

(14th c.) The author of the Hammiramahakavya, a Sanskrit drama that
chronicles the defeat and death of the
Rajput king Hammira by the Delhi sultan Alauddin Khilji in 1301. Aside from
its historical value, this play is notable
because Nayachandra Suri was a Jain
monk. Although Jain monks are subject
to a strict religious lifestyle that would
seem to cut them off from the world,
they have a long history of deep involvement with intellectual and literary culture. See also mahakavya.