Question map
Which one of the following works was written in early eighteenth century by the Bengali poet Rameshwar Bhattacharya ?
Explanation
Rameshwar Bhattacharya was a prominent Bengali poet of the early eighteenth century, best known for his work 'Shivsankirttan' (also known as 'Shiva-Sankirtan' or 'Shiva-ayan'). Written around 1710-1711, this work belongs to the Mangal-Kavya tradition but focuses on the domestic life of Lord Shiva and Parvati, portraying Shiva as a poor farmer to resonate with the rural Bengali audience. While other options like 'Dharmamangal' were composed by various poets such as Ghanaram Chakravarty during the same era, and 'Vidyasundar' was popularized by Bharatchandra Ray later in the century, 'Shivsankirttan' remains the definitive contribution of Rameshwar Bhattacharya. His poetry reflects the socio-economic conditions of 18th-century Bengal, blending religious themes with the daily struggles of the peasantry. The provided snippets discuss 18th-century literary trends in other regions like Kerala and Tamil Nadu [2], but do not explicitly detail Rameshwar's specific Bengali bibliography.
Sources
- [1] Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 2: Indian States and Society in the 18th Century > Social and Cultural Life > p. 42
- [2] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 4: India on the Eve of British Conquest > Societal Set-up > p. 79