This book presents a critical analysis and English translation of the Sanskrit epic, the Mahi?asataka, "A Hundred Verses in Praise of a Buffalo". It was one of the first text on political satire, which heavily criticises the king, the bureaucracy, the nobility and society.

The Buffalo Century is a keen exploration of satire and its role in society and politics. Written in praise of a buffalo, V¿ñche¿vara D¿k¿ita's Mahi¿äatakam is timeless in its treatment of power, and its subversion. In resurrecting eighteenth-century Tanjore for the modern reader, Kesavan Veluthat lifts the poem beyond its immediate literary context and situates it in a contemporary global political setting. Presenting a modern English translation along with the Sanskrit text, this work provides a fare that is as rich in double entendre as it is in its onomatopoeic metaphors. A literary triumph and the voice of an age, this book will be a key text for students and scholars of history, political science, sociology, literature, especially Sanskrit and comparative, and cultural studies.