Bhojpuri literature (

Kaithi Kaithi (), also called Kayathi () or Kayasthi (), is a historical Brahmic script that was used widely in parts of Northern and Eastern India, primarily in the present-day states of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar. In particular, it was us ...

: ;

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the ...

: भोजपुरी साहित्य; IAST: Bhojpurī Sāhitya) includes literature written in Bhojpuri language. Bhojpuri has developed over a course of 1300 years, the development of the language started in 7th century. The earliest form of Bhojpuri can be seen in the writings of Siddha Saints and

Charyapada The Charyapada (IAST: Caryapāda, Assamese/Bengali: চর্যাপদ) is a collection of mystical poems, songs of realization in the Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism from the tantric tradition in Assam, Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. It was w ...

. Distinct literary traditions in Bhojpuri language date back to medieval periods when saints and ''bhakts'' of the region adapted a mixed language for their works. Lorikayan, or the story of '' Veer Lorik'', is a famous Bhojpuri folklore of Eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Bhikhari Thakur Bhikari Thakur (18 December 1887 – 10 July 1971) was an Indian Bhojpuri language poet, playwright, lyricist, actor, folk dancer, folk singer and social activist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest writer in Bhojpuri language and ...

's ''Bidesiya'' is another famous book. The first Bhojpuri novel ''Bindiã'' was written in 1956 by Ram Nath Pandey. It was published by Bhojpuri Sansad, Jagatganj,

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

Ancient (7th to 11th century)

The earliest mentions to Bhojpuri poets are found in

Harshacharita The ''Harshacharita'' ( sa, हर्षचरित, ) (''The deeds of Harsha''), is the biography of Indian emperor Harsha by Banabhatta, also known as Bana, who was a Sanskrit writer of seventh-century CE India. He was the ''Asthana Kavi'', ...

Bāṇabhaṭṭa Bāṇabhaṭṭa ( sa, बाणभट्ट) was a 7th-century Sanskrit prose writer and poet of India. He was the ''Asthana Kavi'' in the court of the emperor Harsha, who reigned c. 606–647 CE in north India, first from Sthanvishvara (T ...

, he has mentioned the names of ''Isanachandra'' and ''Benibharat'', who were from Bhojpuri region and used to compose poems in vernacular instead of

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

and

Prakrit The Prakrits (; sa, prākṛta; psu, 𑀧𑀸𑀉𑀤, ; pka, ) are a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE. The term Prakrit is usu ...

. Oldest form of Bhojpuri poetry can be seen in the ''Pran Sankali'' of Nath Saint Chauranginath and in the poems of

Modern Periods

1947 to 1961: First Bhojpuri short story collection '' Jehal ke Sanadi'' (1948) was published in this period. The first Bhojpuri novel Bindiã by Ram Nath Pandey also published in 1956. Phoolsunghi_English_version

Between 1961 and 1975: Nearly ten novels were published. Notable are ''Tharuhat ke babua aur bahuriya'' (1965), ''Jeevan Saah'' (1964), ''Semar ke phool'' (1966), ''Rahanidaar beti'' (1966), ''Ego subah ego saanjh'' (1967), ''Sunnar kaka'' (1976). Most of these are social drama while the first one is called a regional novel which elaborates life of Tharu tribal people. After 1975: More than 30 novels have been written. Some notable of these are - ''Phulsunghi'' (1977), ''Bhor musukaail'' (1978), ''Ghar-tola-gaon'' (1979), ''Jinigi ke raah'' (1982), ''Darad ke dahar'' (1983), ''Achhoot'' (1986), mahendar Misisr (1994), Imiritiya Kaki (1997), ''Amangal hari'' (1998), ''Awa lavati chalin ja'' (2000), ''Adhe aadh'' (2000) etc. of which ''Phulsunghi'' by Pandey kapil is one of the best novels written in Bhojpuri. ''Amangal hari'' (1998) was written by Viveki Rai, a critic himself. ''Surma Sagun Bichare Na'' is a notable novel written by

Ramesh Chandra Jha Ramesh Chandra Jha (8 May 1928 – 7 April 1994) was an Indian poet, novelist and freedom fighter. Son of a senior gandhian and freedom fighter Lakshmi Narayan Jha, who was offered to become the first chief minister of Bihar but refused as he ...

. ''Purvi Ke Dhah'', written by Jauhar Safiavadi, is the first Bhojpuri novel to be published by

National Book Trust National Book Trust (NBT) is an Indian publishing house, which was founded in 1957 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education of the Government of India. The activities of the Trust include publishing, promotion of books and reading, ...

. It was launched by prominent Hindi critic

Namvar Singh Namvar Singh (Hindi: ) (28 July 1926 – 19 February 2019) was an Indian literary critic, linguist, academician and theoretician. He received his doctorate degree from Banaras Hindu University where he also taught for some time. He served as a ...

Chhapra Chhapra is a city and headquarters of the Saran district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is situated near the junction of the Ghaghara River and the Ganges River. Chhapra grew in importance as a river-based market in the 18th century when t ...

.Bhojpuri lessons for critic
''The Telegraph'', India, August 28, 2010

Notable works

Here is list of some literary works in Bhojpuri Language:

Plays

* ''

Beti Bechwa Beti Bechwa ( Bhojpuri: ) or Beti Biyog (English:- The Daughter seller) is a Bhojpuri play by Playwright Bhikhari Thakur Bhikari Thakur (18 December 1887 – 10 July 1971) was an Indian Bhojpuri language poet, playwright, lyricist, acto ...

'' * ''

Bidesiya Bidesiya may refer to: * Bidesiya (play), a 1912 play by Bhikhari Thakur * Bidesiya (film) ''Bidesiya'' is a Bhojpuri film based on the Play of same name written by Bhikhari Thakur. The film was released in 1963 and was directed by S. N. Tri ...

'' * ''

Devakshara Charita Devakshara Charita or Devakshar Charitra (Bhojpuri: 𑂠𑂵𑂫𑂰𑂍𑂹𑂓𑂩 𑂒𑂩𑂱𑂞; IAST: Devākṣarcarita; Transl.: ''The Character of the Divine Alphabet'') is a Bhojpuri play by Ramdatta Shukla which was written in 1884, ...

'' * ''

Gabarghichor Gabarghichor (Bhojpuri: ) is a play by Bhojpuri playwright Bhikhari Thakur (1887–1971). The play is about a woman, whose husband was a migrants and she had an illegal relationship with a man of her village and a child named Gabarghichor from th ...

'' * '' Loha Singh'' * ''

Mehrarun ke Durdasa Mehrarun ke Durdasa (Bhojpuri: 𑂧𑂵𑂯𑂩𑂰𑂩𑂳𑂢 𑂍𑂵 𑂠𑂳𑂩𑂠𑂮𑂰 ; IAST: Meharārun ke durdasā; lit. "The Plight of Women") is a Bhojpuri play by Rahul Sankrityayan Rahul Sankrityayan (born Kedarnath Pande ...

Poems

* ''

Batohiya ''Batohiya'' (Bhojpuri: ; IAST: Baṭohīyā; transl. Foreigner) is a Bhojpuri poem written by Raghuveer Narayan in 1911. This ''Purbi'' song became very popular and George Abraham Grierson also recorded this song for Linguistic Survey of India ...

'' * '' Achhut Kee Shiqayat''

Books

* ''

Badmash Darpan Badmash Darpan (Bhojpuri: 𑂥𑂠𑂧𑂰𑂬 𑂠𑂩𑂹𑂣𑂝) is a Bhojpuri book written by Teg Ali Teg, which is a collection of Bhojpuri Ghazals The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, q� ...

'' (Collection of Ghazals) * '' Jehal ke Sanadi'' * '' Veer Lorik'' (

Folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

)

Prominent figures

* Gorakhnath is the one of the earliest poets of Bhojpuri. *

Kabir Das Kabir Das (1398–1518) was a 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint. His writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement, and his verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib, the Satguru Granth Sahib of Saint Garib Das, ...

has written many Bhojpuri poems like ''Kauno Thagwa Nagaria Lootal Ho'', ''Tohaar heera herail ba kichade me'', and ''Ka leke aibu sasur ghare jaibu''. *

is known as Shakespeare of Bhojpuri. He has written many Plays like ''

'', ''

'', '' Kaljug Prem'', '' Bhai birodh'' etc. * Heera Dom is credit as the creator of first printed work on Dalit Literature, which was the poem ''Achhut kee Shikayat'' printed in 'Saraswati' in 1914. * Guru Govind Singh has written many works in Bhojpuri. *

Rahul Sankrityayan Rahul Sankrityayan (born Kedarnath Pandey; 9 April 1893 – 14 April 1963) was an Indian writer and a polyglot who wrote in Hindi. He played a pivotal role in giving travelogue a 'literary form'. He was one of the most widely travelled scholars ...

is also a notable person in Bhojpuri Literature. *

Acharya Shivpujan Sahay Acharya Shivpujan Sahay (9 August 1893 – 21 January 1963) was a noted Hindi and Bhojpuri novelist, editor and prose writer. He contributed in pioneering modern trends in, as well as in fiction. His texts ''"Mata ka Anchal"'' also printed in ...

Hindi novelist known for Bhojpuri short story ''Kundan Singh-Kesar Bai''. *

Manoj Bhawuk Manoj Bhawuk (born 2 January 1976) is an Indian poet writing in Bhojpuri language, Bhojpuri, actor, television presenter and screenwriter, active in Bhojpuri cinema. He has written books. He promotes Bhojpuri language and literature. Bhawuk has ...

has written many books and been honoured with the Bhartiya Bhasha Parishad Award in 2006 for his Ghazal collection ''Tasveer zindagi ke''. He has also written a history of

Bhojpuri cinema Bhojpuri cinema is an Indian film industry of Bhojpuri-language motion pictures. It is based in western Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh with major production centres in Lucknow and Patna. Bhojpuri cinema is a major part of Bihari cinema. The f ...

References

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External links

Fictions: Literary Realism and the Crisis of Caste
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