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 Mangalkavya, one of the most important sub-genres of medieval Bengali literature.[1]
Early life
editMukundaram Chakrabarti was born to Hriday Mishra and Doiboki the village of Daminya in present-day Bardhaman. He was forced to leave his ancestral home due to the oppression of the zamindar of the region and received refuge and patronage from Brahmin ruler Bir Bankura Roy, who ruled over Brahmanbhum area of Midnapore and was a devotee of the goddess Candi [2][3] In Adra, he composed the Chandimangal-kavya, which earned him the title of Kabikankan.[4]
Chandimangal
editHis 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.[5]
References
edit- ^ 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।
- ^ 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
edit- Chakravarti, Kavikankan Mukundaram (15 March 2015). Chandimangal. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-93-5214-000-8.