As with most Sanskrit poets, very few concrete details are available about Bharavi's life, and inferences must be made from references to him.
The poet Daṇḍin, who was born during the seventh century, reports that his great-grandfather was a friend of Bharavi and was introduced by him to a king Viṣṇuvardhana, before receiving patronage from Durvinita and King Simhavishnu of the Pallava dynasty.