Bhanu Jayanti: 209th birth anniversary of great poet Bhanubhakta is being celebrated

KATHMANDU: The 209th birth anniversary of Nepali literature’s great poet Bhanubhakta Acharya is being commemorated today with a variety of programs taking place across the country and abroad.

Bhanubhakta has done the Nepali people a great service by presenting the ‘Ramayana’ with an emotional translation of King Ram of Ayodhya’s biography written in simple Nepali language. He wrote the Ramayana, which is still recited in Nepali homes in a melodious rhythm. Adikavi Bhanubhakta unified Nepal through language, literature, and culture after Prithvi Narayan Shah unified it geographically.

Bhanubhakta, who was born on 1871 BS Ashar 29 (July 13, 1814) in the Tanahun village of Chundi Ramgha, was exhorted by a simple man to earn a name by doing good deeds after birth. He was inspired to write the Ramayana in Nepali. Bhanubhakta’s other well-known work is ‘Vadhushiksha.’ Similarly, there are works such as ‘Prashnottar,’ ‘Bhaktamala,’ ‘Ramgita,’ and others.

Acharya, who was imprisoned for not being able to settle Kumari Chowk’s accounts, wrote a poem protesting the delay in a government office and ‘tomorrowism.’ Bhanubhakta has made a historic contribution to Nepali ethnic unity, national identity, and cultural consciousness, as well as to the strengthening of national culture.

Many post-graduate dissertations on Bhanubhakta have been written at Tribhuvan University. Some argue that Bhanubhakta should not be called a prolific poet as he was a poet who wrote poetry in the Nepali language before Bhanubhakta.

The Ramayana ushered in a new era in linguistics. He passed away in 1925 Ashoj. The birth anniversary of Bhanubhakta is also celebrated in Darjeeling, Sikkim, and many other Nepali-speaking areas of India.