The Rise of Wisdom Moon was composed during the mid-eleventh century
by Krishna mishra, an otherwise unknown poet in the service of the
Chandella dynasty, whose cultural and religious capital was Khajuraho.
The early popularity of Krishna mishra's work led to its frequent
translation into the vernaculars of both North and South India, and even
Persian as well. Famed as providing the enduring model of the
allegorical play for all subsequent Sanskrit literature, The Rise of
Wisdom Moon offers a satirical account of the conquest of the holy
city of Benares by Nescience, of the war of liberation waged by the
forces of Intuition, and of the freedom of the Inner Man that then
follows the rise of Wisdom. But at the outset, when Nescience still has
the upper hand, with minions like Lord Lust, such developments seem
unlikely.