Vikatanitamba
Vikatanitamba was a Sanskrit woman poet, noted for her simple and elegant verse, frequently with erotic elements.
Origin
The name vikaTanitamba means one with hideous buttocks - and appears self-referentially in one of her verses. Such appellations were common for women poets in the classical era.Poetry
Her verse comes to us from several anthologies - Sarngadhara Paddhati, compiled by Sarangadhara, 1363); Subhashita-ratna-kosha, compiled by Vidyakara in the 12th century; Saduktikarnamrita compiled by Shridharadasa; and Subhasitavali compiled by Vallabhadeva.Her verses are noted for their suggestiveness, and deal often with sensuous themes from shringara rasa. As an example, here is the poem, "Recollection"
Accolades
Her verses have been praised by poets such as Rājaśekhara for their simplicity and elegance, and she is quoted in texts on literary style, such as the dhvanyaloka of Anandavardhana, the Kāvyālaṁkarashekhara, Vyāktiviveka, etc.Life
A verse quoted in Bhojadeva's sringara prakAsha, is given as being spoken by a female friend of vikaTanitamba:translated roughly as - a man illiterate and foolish, who could not spell consonant combinations such as ustra, and always confusing the sibilants. to him was given vikaTanitamba.
while the authenticity of the verse is doubted by some, there is a tradition that she was perhaps a widow who married again