Anandavardhana

Anandavardhana was a Kashmiri literary theorist of the 9th century, active at the court of King Avantivarman of the Utpala dynasty. In his Dhvanyaloka he argued that the essence of poetry lies in dhvani, suggestion, the meaning a poem conveys beyond its literal sense. His theory, developed further by Abhinavagupta, became central to classical Indian aesthetics.