Kotha Ramayana
Encyclopedia
Kotha Ramayana is a poem written by the powerful Assamese
poet Madhava Kandali
during the 14th century and is one of many versions of Ramayana
in a regional India
n language other than Valmiki's Ramayana in Sanskrit
. This work is also considered one of the earliest written examples of the Assamese language
.
A particular feature of this work is the non-heroic portrayal of Rama, Sita and other characters, as explicitly stated by Madhav Kandali himself, which rendered the work unsuitable for religious purposes. This feature sufficiently disturbed a later poet, Ananta Kandali, who was moved enough to comment on it.
king Mahamanikya (Mahamanikpha, 1330-1370). At that time, his kingdom centered around present-day Nagaon
. Kandali writes:
The poetical work uses various metres for different moods and situations. Some of the metres used are pada (fourteen syllables
, four lines of verses), jhumura (four lines with eight syllables each), dulari (three charana, first and second has six syllables each and the third has eight syllables) and chhavi (like dulari but with different syllabilic structure). The pada metre became very popular in later Assamese compositions.
As he has mentioned above, Kandali has churned the milk of the Ramayana to get the butter, by incorporating his own poetic essence to the original Valmika Ramayana. He adapted his work according to the taste of the common folk to make it more popular. He portrays Rama and Sita as human characters, with astonishing qualities but with some human weaknesses in certain situations.
respectively. Sankardeva writes of Kandali:
Some other additions were made by Ananta Kandali (16th century) and others.
This work has cast a strong influence on Sankardeva, and also later Assamese works. A later Karbi Ramayana was also influenced by this work.
Assamese language
Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language. It is used mainly in the state of Assam in North-East India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Nagamese, an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in...
poet Madhava Kandali
Madhava Kandali
Kaviraja Madhava Kandali was an Assamese poet of India, notable for the earliest rendering of the Valmiki Ramayana into Assamese verse . His another work is a narrative poem, Devajit on superiority of Krishna over the other avatars of Vishnu...
during the 14th century and is one of many versions of Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
in a regional India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n language other than Valmiki's Ramayana in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
. This work is also considered one of the earliest written examples of the Assamese language
Assamese language
Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language. It is used mainly in the state of Assam in North-East India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Nagamese, an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in...
.
A particular feature of this work is the non-heroic portrayal of Rama, Sita and other characters, as explicitly stated by Madhav Kandali himself, which rendered the work unsuitable for religious purposes. This feature sufficiently disturbed a later poet, Ananta Kandali, who was moved enough to comment on it.
The Ramayana
The Ramayana was written upon the request of the KachariKachari Kingdom
The Kachari Kingdom was a powerful kingdom in medieval Assam. The rulers belonged to the Dimasa people, part of the greater Bodo-Kachari ethnic group...
king Mahamanikya (Mahamanikpha, 1330-1370). At that time, his kingdom centered around present-day Nagaon
Nagaon
Nagaon , is a medium sized city and a municipal board in Nagaon district in the Indian state of Assam. It is situated east of Guwahati. An older spelling of the name is Nowgong.It is one of the fastest growing cities of the northeast.-History:...
. Kandali writes:
kavirāj kandali ye āmākese buliwāyā
kariloho sarvajana bodhe.
ramayana supa yara, shri mahamanike ye,
baraha rajar anurudhe.
sat kanda ramayana padabandhe nibandhilo
lambha parihari sarodhrite.
mahamanikyoro bolo kavyarasa kicho dilon
dugdhak mathilo yena ghrite
pandit lokar yebe asantosa upajaya
hat yore bolon shudha bak
pustak bichari yebe taite katha napawaha
tebe sabe nindiba amak.
The poetical work uses various metres for different moods and situations. Some of the metres used are pada (fourteen syllables
Fourteener (poetry)
A Fourteener, in poetry, is a line consisting of 14 syllables, usually having 7 iambic heptametric feet, most commonly found in English poetry produced in the 16th and 17th centuries...
, four lines of verses), jhumura (four lines with eight syllables each), dulari (three charana, first and second has six syllables each and the third has eight syllables) and chhavi (like dulari but with different syllabilic structure). The pada metre became very popular in later Assamese compositions.
As he has mentioned above, Kandali has churned the milk of the Ramayana to get the butter, by incorporating his own poetic essence to the original Valmika Ramayana. He adapted his work according to the taste of the common folk to make it more popular. He portrays Rama and Sita as human characters, with astonishing qualities but with some human weaknesses in certain situations.
Later additions and influences
The adi kanda (Book 1) and the uttara kanda (Book 7), which were lost by the 15th century were later added by Madhavdev and Srimanta SankardevaSrimanta Sankardeva
Mahapurusha Srimanta Shankardeva , was the greatest Assamese saint-scholar, playwright, social-religious reformer and a colossal figure in the cultural and religious history of Assam, India...
respectively. Sankardeva writes of Kandali:
purvakavi apramadi madhav kandali adi
pade virachila rama katha
hastira dekhiya lada sasa yena phure marga
mora bhaila tenhaya avastha.
Some other additions were made by Ananta Kandali (16th century) and others.
This work has cast a strong influence on Sankardeva, and also later Assamese works. A later Karbi Ramayana was also influenced by this work.