Came across some information about the female Sanskrit poetesses featured at the end of this book 'The Cane Groves of Narmada River'. I was surprised to learn about Shilabhattārika, a 9th c. female Sanskrit poet, patronised by King Bhoja, who was himself a poet and connoisseur.

Shilabhattarika was an accomplished poetess, renowned for her simplicity and sweetness. Descriptions of the Vindhyas and the Narmada river feature in her work. She is honored for her Panchali literary style of poetic expression.

King Bhoja, the most celebrated ruler of the Paramāra Dynasty, was a great patron of education and the arts. At his palace in Dhara (now in Madhya Pradesh), he constructed the Bhojashala, an elaborate temple dedicated to poetry and learning.

Its central deity was Vāgdevī (goddess of speech), a form of Goddess Saraswati that stood in the hall's precinct. The Vāgdevi murthi is currently housed in the British Museum. The vigraha bears an inscription that reads (translated):

"Auṃ. Vararuci, who is intent on the dharma of the Candranagarī and Vidyādharī of Srīmad Bhoja the king, [....] having first fashioned Vāgdevī the mother [and] afterwards a triad of Jinas, made this beautiful image of Ambā, ever abundant in fruit. Blessings!"

The Bhojasala was constructed in the 11th century AD and bore numverous inscriptions of Prākrit and Sanskrit piety, some composed by Raja Bhoja himself. It converted into the Kamala Maula mosque by Dilawar Khan in 1405.

In 1997 Digvijay Singh Congress government issued a discrimatory order that Hindus were allowed into the temple ONCE a year on Vasant Panchami and Muslims were allowed in 52 TIMES A YEAR every Friday.

The Bhojasala was not only a Saraswati temple but a centre of learning and a Hindu institution. #reclaimtemples

(images below from Hindu Masjids by Shri Prafull Goradia)

Everyone needs to Hindu Temples: What Happened to Them by Shri Sita Ram Goel and Hindu Masjids by Shri Prafull Goradia (each account of occupation and destruction of temples is more heartbreaking than the last)

https://ia902305.us.archive.org/29/items/HINDUMASJIDS/HINDU%20MASJIDS.pdf

Almost forgot to mention Scroll's whitewashing. @tishasaroyan says it's a myth fabricated by Brits. How convenient! Let's ignore the 11th c Praktit/Sanskrit incriptions that name Vāgdevī and Raja Bhoja, and the glaringly obvious temple architecture - from pillars to the layout.