Banamali Dasa (; 1720–1793) was an Indian medieval Odia ''bhakta-poet'' and composer of

Odissi music Odissi music (, ) is a genre of Indian classical music, classical music originating from the eastern state of Odisha. Rooted in the ancient ritual music tradition dedicated to the deity Jagannatha, Odissi music has a rich history spanning over ...

from the state of

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

. "''Dinabandhu daitari''", "''Kede chanda jane lo sahi''", and "''Manima he etiki maguni mora''" are some of his notable writings that are used in

Odissi ''Odissi'' (''ଓଡ଼ିଶୀ'') also referred to as ''Orissi'' in old literature, oldest surviving classical dance of India, is a major ancient Indian classical dance that originated in the Hindu temple, temples of Odisha – an eastern ...

. His songs are popularly sung in

festivals A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

, public gatherings, and in Odissi dance. Banamali's compositions (especially ''chaupadis and jananas'') are set to traditional Odissi ragas and talas and are used in the

repertoire. He is considered to be the foremost poet of the medieval Odia bhakti-literature. He started by writing rustic devotional poetry but later began composing "''bhakti''" poetry, which gained wider acceptance and popularity among contemporary poets. Banamali Dasa was patronised by Gajapati Birakishore Deva of Bhoi dynasty whom the poet also praised in his writings.

Early life

As Dasa's birth and death are unrecorded, various researchers speculate various years. In a research publication, researcher Janaki Ballabh Mohanty has cited his birth year around 1720-30 and his death year as being unknown. Other publications have his birth year as 1720 and his death year as 1793. He was born in a Karana family, as written in one of his earlier poems where he explicitly mentions his surname Pattanayaka, used by the Karanas of ancient Odisha. The surname is still in use in India. He spent most of his life in Puri.

Music

Banamali's creations are frequently sung in classical Odissi music concerts & enacted in the ''abhinaya'' part of Odissi dance. He is known to have composed over 400 songs; ''Odissi'', ''Chhanda'', ''Bhajana'', ''Janana'', ''Chautisa'' and more. He is not known to have written any single ''kavya'', but rather a large number of individual songs. The Ragas used by Banamali in his works are unique ragas of the Odissi music tradition. Some of these ragas include: ''Asabari, Bangala, Bangalasri, Baradi, Basanta, Basanta Kedara, Bhairaba, Bhairabi, Bhatiari, Bhupala, Bibhasha, Chakra Kedara, Chinta Kedara, Dakhina Kamodi, Desa Baradi, Desakhya, Dhanasri, Dhipa, Gadamalia,

Gujjari Gujjari () is a rāga belonging to the tradition of Odissi music. Falling under the ''meḷa'' Karnāta, the raga uses ''komala gandhara, komala dhaibata'' and ''komala nisada'' swaras and is traditionally associated with the ''karuṇa rasa.'' Th ...

Jayanta Jayanta ()), is a character who appears in Hindu literature. He is the son of Indra, the king of the devas (gods), and his wife, Shachi (Indrani). He has a sister called Jayanti. He appears in various Hindu scriptures, fighting in wars on ...

, Jayanti, Jhinjoti, Kalyana, Kamodi, Kaphi, Karnata, Kasmira,

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, Kedaragouda, Khambaja, Khanda Bangalasri, Kolahala, Kousika, Krusna Kedara, Kumbha Kamodi, Kumbha Kedara, Kusuma Kedara, Lalita Kamodi, Lalita Kedara, Madana Kedara, Madhusri, Malaba,

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, Mangala Baradi, Mangala Kedara, Marua, Matiari, Mohana, Mohana Kedara, Mukhabari, Nalinigouda, Natakurangi, Paraja, Pattamanjari, Punnaga, Purabi, Ranabije, Rasakadamba, Rasakedara, Saberi, Sankarabharana, Saranga, Sauri, Sindhu Kamodi, Soka Kamodi, Sri, Suratha, Todi, Todiparaja.''

Selected works

Poetry

* "''Dinabandhu daitari''" * "''Manima he eitiki maguni mora''" * "''Kede chanda jane lo sahi''" * "''Dukhanasana he sukha na paili dine''" * "''Jaya Jagannatha he Jasoda kumara''" * "''Ke Murali Bajauchhi Brundabane Go''"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dasa, Banamali 18th-century births 18th-century deaths Odia-language poets 18th-century Indian poets Poets from Odisha Indian male poets 18th-century Indian male writers Odissi music composers