Mangalkavya

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Mangalkavya ( Bengali: মঙ্গলকাব্য, lit. "poems of well being") is a genre of Bengali language epic poems written in the 13–18th centuries. They depicted the social customs of the era and also were devotional paeans to the local deities. Why they were called Mangalkavya is a controversial issue among historians. Common theories include:

Listening to them was said to bring spiritual and material benefits ("mangal").^[1]
They were sung in the Mangal raga.
They were read out in rituals extending from one "Mangalbar" (Tuesday) to the next.

The main mangalkavyas include Manasamangalkavya, Chandimangalkavya, Dharmamangalkavya and Annadamangalkavya, with Manasamangal being the most famous. It is widely considered to be one of the most important works ever of Bangla literature and references to stories of Manasamangal abound in literature even to this day because of their highly symbolic value. There are also other minor mangalkavyas such as Raimangalkavya in the Sundarban region.

Actually, a mangalkavya cannot be considered a single work of literature since different parts of it were usually written by different persons, and different versions exist. Every mangalkavya rather provided a thematic framework on which poets set their works. However an important exception is Annadamangal, which was entirely written by Bharatchandra Ray. Other mangalkavyas also usually have one major author.

1 Poems
2 Construction
3 Characteristics
4 Usage
5 Effects
6 See also
7 References

[edit] Poems

Mangalkavya were used to describe the greatness of particular Hindu deities known as "nimnokoti" (roughly translating as lower) by historians, because they were absent or unimportant in classical Hindu literature such as the Vedas or Purans. These deities were based on indigenous to Bengal (like Manasa) who had become assimilated in regional Hinduism. These deities are often depicted with unusually strong human qualities and they engage in direct interaction with humans. They are also portrayed to have flaws such as envy like other human beings.

The mangalkavyas depict the conflict between these indigenous and alien deities ending with the victory of the indigenous gods. The word "mangal" also means Vijay (victory), and the poems were written to celebrate the victory of the local gods over goda worshipped by foreigners. Many poems contain the word "Vijay" such as Manasavijay by Bipradas Pipilai.

In the time period when they were produced, Mangalkavya was the representation of nearly all medieval Bengali literature. Mangalkavya was the main form of expression in the Later Middle Period of the language.^[2]

[edit] Construction

Mangalkavyas were composed of four parts.

[edit] Vandana

The first part is the Vandana, the salutation to the deity or venerable figure. The Vandana crossed caste and sectarian borders to praise the deities in a glorifying fashion.

[edit] Reasoning

In the second part, the poet explains why he composed the epic. The poet introduces himself and explains the epiphany that inspired him to write the poem. The epiphany usually comes in a dream or by way of a divine command.

[edit] Devakhanda

The third part, the devakhanda, depicts the relationship between a foreign god and the indigenous deity. A pattern in this section is that Lord Shiva always makes an appearance in this section.

[edit] Narakhanda

The fourth part, narakhanda, contains the main narrative, generally about a deity cursed and expelled from the celestial region. It then delves into his reincarnation as a human being and his activities on earth as a mortal. Finally it asserts his position as a deity worthy of being worshipped. Also important to this story is the heroine's tale of healing and woe, and the description of her character and mannerisms.

[edit] Characteristics

Mangals are usually similar in form though variant in length. They are written for the most part in the simple payar meter, a couplet form with the rhyme scheme “aa bb,” etc., which is considered an appropriate form for oral literature ^[3].

[edit] Usage

They are often recited at the festivals of the deities mentioned in the kavya. The popular ones are sung to entertain village audiences as Bhajans. Many variants exist, since singers may change the verses. Most are written in simple couplets, using earthy imagery drawn from simple objects like: village, field, and river^[4].

[edit] Effects

The spread of Mangalkavya increased throughout Bengal around the late 1700s. It has been documented in the city of Majilpur that the number of Shiva mandirs increased tremendously after Mangalkavya began being composed in the vicinity ^[5]