Chandravati

Chandravati (Hindi: चन्द्रावती), popularly known as Chandroti, is a village situated near Abu Road on the bank of the West Banas River in the Indian state of Rajasthan. In ancient times it was an extensive town, and present villages such as Dattani, Kiverli, Kharadi and Santpura were its suburbs. The old ruins, such as temples, torans and images scattered over the large area, bear testimony to its past glory.

History

Archeological excavations suggested that there was a large settlement at the place before the establishment of Chandravati by Parmars. Chandravati was ruled by the Gurjara-Pratiharas of Abu.Gurjara-Pratihara ruler of the area was Sindhuraja in the early tenth century. The Ugrasena Panwar founded the Panwar rule at Abu. Gurjara-Pratihara Raja Bhoja (1010-1050 AD) was an illustrious rulers of this dynasty.

Chandravati was the major city in past said to once been eighteen miles in circuit. Its prosperity seems to have lasted from the seventh to the beginning of the fifteenth century. Tradition gives it an earlier origin than Dhar, making it the metropolis of Western India, when the Gurjara-Pratihara was paramount lord to whom the nine castles of the desert were the grand subordinate fiefs. In the seventh century, then subordinate to Dhar, it proved a place of refuge to Raja Bhoj, when, by some northern invader, he was forced to flee from his capital. From the Parmars it was wrested by the Chauhan chieftains of Sirohi, and, on the establishment of the Solanki dynasty of Anhilwad Patan (942) the rulers of Chandravati became its vassals. The remains at Chandravati and on mount Abu seem to point to the eleventh and twelfth centuries as the time of greatest wealth and splendour. The materials recovered by excavation suggested that it was established around 7th century and expanded into a large settlement (about 50 hectare) around 10th or 11th century when it was a capital township.

Chandravati (poet)

Chandravati (Bengali: চন্দ্রাবতী) was a medieval Bengali poet, widely considered as the first woman poet of Bengali language.

Early life

Chandravati was born to Dij-Banshidas Bhattacharya, in circa. 1550 CE in the village of Patuyari, in side of Fulesshori river in kisorgonj which is currently located in Dhaka division of Bangladesh. Bansidas was a composer of Manasa's ballads known as Manasar Bhasaner Gan. According to Sambaru Chandra Mohanta, he was one of the composers of Manasamangal.

Literary works

Chandravati was the first woman from the Indian subcontinent to compose the Ramayana in Bengali. She narrated the Ramayana from Sita's point of view and criticized Rama. Chandravati is a highly individual rendition as a tale told from a woman's point of view which, instead of celebrating masculine heroism, laments the suffering of women caught in the play of male ego. She however couldn't finish her work.

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