Mukundaram Chakrabarti
Kabikankan Mukundaram Chakrabarti (Bengali: কবিকঙ্কণ মুকুন্দরাম চক্রবর্তী) was a 16th-century Bengali poet who is best known for writing the epic poem Chandimangal, which is considered one of the most prominent works of Mangalkavyas, one of the most important sub-genres of medieval Bengali literature.[1]
Early life
Mukundaram Chakrabarti was born to Hriday Mishra and Doiboki the village of Daminya in present-day Bardhaman of West Bengal. He was forced to leave his ancestral home due to the oppression of the zamindar (dihidar)of the region Mahmud Sharif who was more Mughal-aligned. He received refuge and patronage from ruler Bir Bankura Roy, who ruled over Brahmanbhum area of Midnapore and was a devotee of the goddess Chandi[2][3] In Adra, he composed the Chandimangal-kavya, which earned him the title of Kabikankan.[4] [5]
Chandimangal
His most celebrated work Chandimangal, is a commentary on the socio-political scene in medieval Bengal. He describes his own travels and hardships while taking refuge in behind the story of Kallaketu, a poor hunter and Dhanpati, a wealthy merchant and their wives both of whom get trapped in hardships and are subsequently rescued by Abhaya or Chandi, both of whom are folk goddesses. The Chandimangal provides a rich and detailed account of the complex social structures present in medieval Bengal.[6]
References
- ^ Datta, Amaresh (1987). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: A-Devo. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 978-81-260-1803-1.
- ^ Indian Studies
- ^ O’malley, L. S. S. (1995). Bengal District Gazetteers – Midnapore.
- ^ বাংলা সাহিত্যের ইতিহাস, প্রথম খন্ড, সুকুমার সেন, আনন্দ পাবলিশার্স।
- ^ বাংলা সাহিত্য ক্লাস ৯ পৃষ্ঠা:৯১
- ^ Chakrabarti, Kunal; Chakrabarti, Shubhra (22 August 2013). Historical Dictionary of the Bengalis. Scarecrow Press. pp. 120–121. ISBN 978-0-8108-8024-5.
External links
- Chakravarti, Kavikankan Mukundaram (15 March 2015). Chandimangal. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-93-5214-000-8.