Ghanaram Chakrabarty

Ghanaram Chakrabarty (Bengali: ঘনারাম চক্রবর্তী) (c. 1669-?) was a Bengali poet of the Middle Ages[1] and the greatest contributor to the Dharmamangalkavya tradition of mediaeval Bengali literature.[2] He was greeted by his guru as Kabiratna ("The Jewel of the Poets").[2] His work, Anadi Mangal (Bengali: অনাদিমঙ্গল), also known as Sri Dharma Sangeet,[1] was probably composed in 1711.[3]

Chakrabarty was born to Gourikanta Chakrabarty and Sita Devi at Kukura-Krishnapur village on Damodar River in modern-day Purba Bardhaman district of the Indian state of Paschimbanga (West Bengal).[1] He was sent to a pathshala (traditional village primary school in Bengal) at Rampur.[1] Later he was patronised by Kirtichandra, the Maharaja of Bardhaman.[1] He had four sons: Rampriyo, Ramgopal, Ramgobindo and Ramokrishno.[2][3]

Although he eulogises Dharmathakur in his poem, Chakrabarty was a devotee of Rama.[3] In his version of Dharmamangalkavya, many incidents from the Ramayana and the Bhagavata are also described.[3] Two major tales of Dharmamangalkavya i.e. the tales of Harishchandra and Lausen are told in 24 palas (Cantos) which are further subdivided into 9147 shlokas in his poem.[3]

Chakrabarty also composed Satyanarayana Sindhu, a panchali (small narrative poem) eulogising Satyanarayana.[3]

References
  1. Chatterjee, Dr Partha (2008). Bangla Sahitya Parichay [History of Bengali Literature] (in Bengali). Kolkata: Tulsi Prakashani. pp. 141–44. ISBN 81-89118-04-8.
  2. Bhattacharya, Ashutosh (2009). Bangla Mangalkavyer Itihas [History of Medieval Narrative Poetry] (in Bengali) (12th ed.). Kolkata: A Mukherjee & Co Pvt Ltd. pp. 406–13.
  3. Bandyopadhyay, Asit Kumar (2001) [1966]. Bangla Shityer Itibritta [History of Bengali Literature] (in Bengali). III-B (3rd ed.). Kolkata: Modern Book Agency Private Ltd. pp. 98–107.
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