Gopal Bhar
Encyclopedia
Gopal Bhar or Gopal Bhand was a legendary court jester in medieval Bengal
. He was in the court of Raja Krishnachandra
, the famous king of Nadia
in the 18th century AD. Such was the genius of Gopal that the king considered him as a Navaratna
of his court. His statue can still be seen in the palace of Raja Krishnachandra.
Stories about his exploits are narrated in West Bengal
and Bangladesh
to this day and are immortalized in countless short stories. The stories are short, beautiful, humorous and have a specific social message. Gopal Bhar is famous for stories of his wisdom, in which he outwits other fellow courtiers and men. His stories are comparable with those of Birbal
and Molla Nasiruddin.
In one story Gopal Bhar visits a sweet shop, being manned by the Halwai's son and starts eating the sweets. The child protests and asks his name, to which Gopal replies, "Your father knows me; my name is Machi (Fly)." The Halwai inquires who it is from inside the house, to which his son replies it is a housefly eating the sweets. The Halwai replies that the fly eats sweets daily so he should not worry. Gopal eats all the sweets and then leaves.
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
. He was in the court of Raja Krishnachandra
Raja Krishnachandra
Krishnchandra was a great emperor of Krishnagar, Nadia. Gopal Bhar was a legendary jester in his court. His father was Raghuram Roy.- External links :* Mohanta S. C. // Banglapedia — the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh...
, the famous king of Nadia
Nadia District
Nadia district is a district of the state of West Bengal, in the north east of India. It borders with Bangladesh to the east, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts to the south, Bardhaman district to the west, and Murshidabad district to the north....
in the 18th century AD. Such was the genius of Gopal that the king considered him as a Navaratna
Navaratnas
Navaratnas Nauratan was a term applied to a group of nine extraordinary people in a emperor's court in India...
of his court. His statue can still be seen in the palace of Raja Krishnachandra.
Stories about his exploits are narrated in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
and Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
to this day and are immortalized in countless short stories. The stories are short, beautiful, humorous and have a specific social message. Gopal Bhar is famous for stories of his wisdom, in which he outwits other fellow courtiers and men. His stories are comparable with those of Birbal
Birbal
Raja Birbal was the Grand Vizier of the Mughal court in the administration of the Mughal emperor Akbar. He one of his most trusted members along with being a part of Akbar's inner council of nine advisors, known as the navaratna, a Sanskrit word meaning nine jewels...
and Molla Nasiruddin.
In one story Gopal Bhar visits a sweet shop, being manned by the Halwai's son and starts eating the sweets. The child protests and asks his name, to which Gopal replies, "Your father knows me; my name is Machi (Fly)." The Halwai inquires who it is from inside the house, to which his son replies it is a housefly eating the sweets. The Halwai replies that the fly eats sweets daily so he should not worry. Gopal eats all the sweets and then leaves.
Further reading
- Dutta, Swapna; Gupta, Swapna (2004). Tales of Gopal the Jester. ISBN 8178060590.
- Sinha, Seema (ed.) (2005). Gopal Bhand. ISBN 8170119758.