Krittivasi Ramayan
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Krittivasi Ramayan (Bengali: কৃত্তিবাসি রামায়ণ) or Krittibasi Ramayan or Sri Ram Panchali, composed by fifteenth century Bengali poet Krittibas Ojha, is not only the first translation of Ramayana into Bengali, but into any North Indian language other than Sanskrit. Written in traditional Ramayan Panchali form of Middle Bengali Literature, the Krittivasi Ramayana is not just a rewording of the original Indian epic, but a vivid depiction of society and culture of Bengal in the middle age. It is also remembered for its great contributions in the exploration of the concept of Bhakti that in the later period facilitated the establishment of Vaishnavism in Gangetic Bengal and surrounding regions.
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[edit] Manuscripts
The total number of manuscripts (puthis) containing the text of Krittivasi Ramayan is about 2221. [1] Most of these puthis contains parts of the text rather than any complete one. In West Bengal, these are preserved in Vangiya Sahitya Parishad, Kolkata, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, Visva-Bharati University, Birbhum, Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, University of Burdwan, Bardhaman, North Bengal University, Siliguri, Bishnupur Sahitya Parishad, Bankura, Krittibas Memorial Community Hall and Museum, Fulia-Boyra, Nadia and other personal collections and libraries. Outside West Bengal, some puntis are preserved in Silchar Normal School Library, Assam, Dhaka University and Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh, India Office Library, British Museum and School of Oriental and African Studies, London, United Kingdom and Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris, France.
[edit] Self-assertion of Krittivas Ojha
[edit] Timeline of Krittivasi Ramayan
The original Krittivasi Ramayan is dated in the first half of the fifteenth century A.D. For the next four centuries, it underwent various changes at hands of the scribes of the traditional manuscripts known as puthis. The current version of the epic was revised by Jaygopal Tarkalankar and was published in 1834. Later in the twentieth century, various editions were published based on this one.
[edit] Originality of Krittivas
[edit] Bengal in Krittivasi Ramayan
Krittivasi Ramayana is not only a mere translation, but it contains picturesque descriptions of Bengali social life and its values. That is why it is widely read and highly respected in Bengal for centuries, even though the cult of Rama, unlike the northern part of India, is not so popular among the Bengalis.
[edit] Influence of Krittivasi Ramayan
The epic of Krittivas has had a profound impact on the literature of Bengal and surrounding regions on later days. Tulsidas, the sixteenth century Hindi Ramayana translator, was deeply moved by the theme of Bhakti just as Krittivas was. The story of Rama, depicted by Krittivas Ojha inspired a large number of latter-day poets including Michael Madhusudan Dutt and Rabindranath Tagore.
[edit] Notes
- ^ p.82. Paschimbanga, Gazette of the Information and Cultural Affairs Department, Government of West Bengal, Krittibas Memorial Issue, February 2006
