Only one work of the great poet Magh is available and that is Shishupalvadha Mahakavyam. शिशुपालव- धमहाकाव्यम्. We do not have much information about the writer of this very good and beautiful long poem. Still however, he is beleved to have lived somewhere between the seventh and tenth century and that he lived in Bhinnamal or Shreemal that is on the border of present Gujarat and Rajasthan. He was Shrimali brahmin.
The German Scholar Jacobi says, "Just as the poet Bharavi kept his name Bharavi (the brightness of the sun) in ordert to suggest his intelligency, similarly, the composer of "शिशुपालवध" kept his name Magha in order to lower the status of Bharavi. As the month of Magha approaches, the Sun's rays become cool means in the similar manner, when the poem of Magha emerges, the poem of Bharavi fades away. Therefore it is said, तावद् मा भारवेर्भाति यावन्माघस्य नोदयः ।
According to different scholars, Magha was said to be born between 7th century and 10th century. It is said that Magha's native was Bhinmal or Shrimal at the border of Gujarat and Rajasthan. He was a Shrimali brahmin. "शिशुपालवध" is his only work available to us. It has 20 Sargas (Chapters) and 1684 shlokas. The source of this epic is chapter 33 to 45 of Sabhaparva of the Mahabharata. The killing of Shishupal, the chedi king is at the centre of the story. The following lines indicate the intelligency of Magha.
मेघे माघे गतं वयः।
नवसर्गगते माघे नवशब्दो न विद्यते ।
माघे सन्ति त्रयो गुणाः ।
The style of "शिशुपालवध" is Gaudi. For this work, it is said, "नव-सर्ग-गते माघे नवशब्दो न विधते ।".
Shishupalvadha is considered to be one of the five epics of Sanskrit literature. There are twenty 'sargas' chapters in it. The source of its story is the Sabhaparva of Mahabharat. The killing of Shishupal, the Chedi king is at the centre of the story. The main 'Ras' i.e. essence dominant emotional theme of this poem is (Veera) courage. It is said for this poem that नव-सर्ग-गते माघे नवशब्दो न विद्यते । means a reader when finishes reading all the nine chapters of 'Shishupalvadha' will not find any word that he does not know. In the same way it is also said that one will talke the whole life to finish reading this book. (मेघे माघे गतं वयः । This means that the whole life may pass to study the books Meghdoot by Kalidas and Shishupalvadh by poet magh माघ)
In the description of Raivatak mountain, Raivatak has been compared with elephant and the sun and the moon are compared with (described as) elephant's bells, therefore the critics call Magha as "Ghanta Magha."