Maecenatism

noun1

1. •
   Patronage, in particular patronage of the arts, especially poetic and bardic arts.

   • February 1915 Address by Justice Sir Asutosh Mukhopadhyaya, Journal & Proceedings of The Asiatic Society of Bengal. New Series, Vol. XI. p.36. Baptist Mission Press. pub: The Asiatic Society, 1, Park Street, Calcutta. 1916. It is to the Rajputs, therefore, that the ultimate credit is due, not a small credit for a race of warriors, who in the pause of arms found time to devote to literary pursuits. May be, their action was inspired by a desire to gratify national vanity, as the subject of this literature was principally furnished by their own military exploits; but to show that they were not devoid of a literary taste, examples can be quoted of warrior kings who were good judges of poetry, as also excellent composers. Theirs was, therefore, an intelligent maecenatism. It is superfluous to add that the fact that this literature is confined to a description of the life and history of the Rajputs, does not diminish its importance nor impair its universal character, as during the times in question, the Rajputs were the principal ruling race and the only makers of history. This vast literature falls naturally into two sections: Bardic poems and prose chronicles. The former, which are older in origin and more extensive, are the products of the Bards, and they have both a literary and an historical interest; whereas, the latter are the products of different classes of people and their interest is only historical, If under the term "bardic poems we comprehend all kinds of bardic poetry, we have here a literature which includes works ranging from a single couplet to poems of eight to ten thousand verses.