Mahakavi Krittibas Ojha (; 1381–1461) was a medieval

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

poet. His major contribution to

Bengali literature Bengali literature () denotes the body of writings in the Bengali language and which covers Old Bengali, Middle Bengali and Modern Bengali with the changes through the passage of time and dynastic patronization or non-patronization. Bengali h ...

and culture was

Hindu epic Mahākāvya (lit. great kāvya, court epic), also known as ''sargabandha'', is a genre of Indian epic poetry in Classical Sanskrit. The genre is characterised by ornate and elaborate descriptions of phenomena such as scenery, love, and battles. Ty ...

Rāmāyaṇa The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics of Hinduism known as the ''Itihasas'', ...

'' in

. His work, the ''Śrīrām Pā̃cālī'', is popularly known as the ''

Krittivasi Ramayan ''Kṛttivāsī Rāmāyaṇ'',; also called ''Śrīrām Pãcālī'', composed by the fourteenth-century Bengali poet Krittibas Ojha, from whom it takes its name, is a rendition of the '' Rāmāyaṇa'' into Bengali. Written in the traditional '' ...

''. His work, edited by

Jaygopal Tarkalankar Jaygopal Tarkalankar (; 7 October 1775 — 13 April 1846) was a Bengali writer and Sanskrit scholar. One of His main decestor Sir Ankur Bhattacharya now lived in Nabadwip, Nandipara in Nadia district. Early life Tarkalankar was born in 1775 at ...

, was published by the

Serampore Mission Press The Serampore Mission Press was a book and newspaper publisher that operated in Serampore, Danish India, from 1800 to 1837. The Press was founded by the British Baptist missionaries William Carey, William Ward, and Joshua Marshman, collectively ...

Life

Krittibas Ojha was born in a

Kulin Brahmin Bengali Brahmins are the community of Hindu Brahmins, who traditionally reside in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, currently comprising the Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh. The Bengali Brahmins, along wi ...

family at

Phulia Phulia (also spelled Fulia) is a census town in the Santipur CD block of the Ranaghat subdivision in the Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is birthplace of 'Adi kavi' of Bengal Krittibas Ojha. Geography Location Fu ...

village of modern-day

Nadia district Nadia () is a district in the state of West Bengal, India. It borders Bangladesh to the east, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts to the south, Purba Bardhaman to the west, and Murshidabad to the north. Nadia district is highly influe ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n state of ''Paschimbanga'' (

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

). He was the eldest among his father Banamali Ojha's six sons and one daughter. The word "Krittibas" is an epithet of Hindu god

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

. It is known that when Krittibas was born, his grandfather Murari Ojha was preparing for a pilgrimage to

Chandaneswar Chandaneswar Temple is a famous Shiva temple located in Chandaneswar, Baleswar district of Odisha, India. A huge annual fair on the Pana Sankranti (Odia Hindu solar New Year), the first day of the Odia calendar, is celebrated on the premises. Many ...

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 ...

, hence the child was named after Shiva, the predominant deity of the nearest Odisha pilgrimage to Bengal. At the age of 11, Krittibas was sent to

Nabadwip Nabadwip (), also spelt Navadwip, historically known as Nadia, is a heritage city in Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is regarded as a holy place by Hindus, and is the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Located on the wes ...

(in other opinion, to Barendra in North Bengal) for higher studies. After finishing studies he was traditionally honoured by the King of Gauda himself by the offerings of a garland, some sandal water and a silk scarf. Upon returning to his home at Phulia, he translated the

Valmiki Valmiki (; , ) was a legendary poet who is celebrated as the traditional author of the epic ''Ramayana'', based on the attribution in the text itself. He is revered as ''Ādi Kavi'', the first poet, author of ''Ramayana'', the first epic poe ...

''Ramayana'' epic & The original ''Mahabharata'' epic into Bengali (Sadhu Bhasha or

Sanskritised Sanskritisation (or Sanskritization) is a term in sociology which refers to the process by which castes or tribes placed lower in the caste hierarchy seek upward mobility by emulating the rituals and practices of the dominant castes or upper c ...

Bengali). Kritibas Ojha himself later transcipted the Sadhu Bhasha or Sanskritised Bengali version of

''Ramayana'' epic in Chalit Bhasha or Simple Bengali version. Later on in the 1930s

Kazi Nazrul Islam Kazi Nazrul Islam (24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was a Bengalis, Bengali poet, short story writer, journalist, lyricist and musician. He is the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul produced a List of works by Kazi Nazrul Islam, large body of ...

transcipted Sadhu bhasha or Sanskritised Bengali version of ''Mahabharata'' epic in Chalit bhasha or Simple Bengali version. The identity of the 'King of Gaur', who is described by Krittibas to be on good terms with the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

population, is hotly debated. Some argue that it refers to

Raja Ganesha Raja Ganesha was a zamindar ruler and the first Hindu Sultan of the Bengal Sultanate, who took advantage of the weakness of the first Ilyas Shahi dynasty and seized power in Bengal. Contemporary historians of the medieval period considered him ...

R. C. Majumdar Ramesh Chandra Majumdar (known as R. C. Majumdar; 4 December 1888 – 11 February 1980) was an Indian historian and professor known for promoting Hindu nationalist views. He principally studied the history of India. Early life and education ...

argues in favour of the Bengali sultan

Ruknuddin Barbak Shah Ruknuddīn Bārbak Shāh (, ; 1459–1474) was the son and successor of Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah. Initially appointed as the governor of Satgaon during the reign of his father, Barbak ascended the throne of the Bengal Sultanate in 1459. H ...

References

1381 births 1461 deaths Bengali Hindus Bengali male poets Hindu poets People from Nadia district Bengali-language writers 15th-century Bengali poets {{India-poet-stub