EkAkshara and other ingenious forms of poetry

[DEVARAKONDA VENKATA NARAYANA SARMA]

The word `chitra' in chitra-kavitva means `intriguing' or `rousing
one's curiosity' and not only `picture'. But bandhakavita has picturesque
feats also like chakrabandha, khadgabandha, nagabandha etc. In these
feats the letters of the poem can be cast in the picture of a wheel, 
the picture of a sword, the picture of a serpent etc.
 
In Telugu "PrabandharAja VEnkatEswara VijayavilAsam" by Ganapavarapu
VEnkaTa kavi published by Telugu University, Hyderabad (originally by 
A.P. Sahitya Academy) edited by VEdam VEnkatarAya SAstri ( grandson of
the more famous namesake) is completely devoted to such feats. It 
contains many feats of prosady (garbhakavita); EkAkshara, dvyakshara,
...., Ekapada, dvipada,..., slesha poems, (chitrakavita) and  various 
picturesque bandhAs like those mentioned above (bandhakavita). In one
single sIsa (a meter) poem, 60 poems of various other meters are 
embedded. At the same time the book has also a story going. This is 
something like bhattikAvya which is meant to demonstrate vyAkarana
sUtrAs of PaNini at the same time narrating RAmAyanA.
 
Sarma.