There was a tradition of composing stray verses in Doha metre, more popular in North India it was popularised through contributions made by the Jainas, the Brahmins and the Muslims as is seen in epic, rasa and didactic type of literature.
Topics in this literature include eroticism, valour, quietude, morality, common life, eventful scenes, of nature, sayings and proverbs.
Some main literary works of the period from the 8th to 13th centuries are Sarasvatikanthabharana and Shringaraprakasha of Bhoja, Kavyalankara of Rudrta, Prakritavyakrana of Hemchandra, Prakritapaingalam and Neminathachariu of Haribhadra, Kumarapalapratibodha of Somaprabha, Prabandhachintamani of Merutanga, Sandeshrasaka of Abdul Rahman.
The spiritual doha-literature is devoid of artificial style and is mystico-religious in which symbols are employed and importance of teacher-preacher is emphasised; its authors were saints first and poets afterwards.
Buddhist or bauddha-dohas of Sarahapa (760–806), Sabarapa, Luipa, Darikapa, Kanhapa and Śāntipa, all belonging to the period from the 8th to 12th centuries, are of two types – a) that which establishes and explains sectarian teachings and philosophy, and b) that which criticises Rituals, tantricism and mantravada; both represent two modes viz., Vajrayana (thunder-bolt) describing spiritual states and experiences, and Sahajayana (natural and easy) preaching purification of life and criticise Hindu and Jaina practices, Jaina doha-literature mainly deals with spiritualism and the supreme self, internal purification, control of the mind and the senses and opposes external ritualism, charms, tantricism, worship of deities and scriptures.
Some important Jaina works are Paramātmaprakāśa and Yogasara of Joindu Yogindra, Pāhuḍadoha of Ramasimha, Vairagyasara of Suprabhacharya and Dohaprabhrita of Muni Mahachandra.
Didactic dohas of Jainas preach the need to raise the moral standard of life, lay stress on duties and obligations, charity etc., Shavakadharmadoha of Devasena of Dhar (9th century AD) and Sanjama-manjari of Maheshvarasuri belong to this kind.