Bharatchandra Ray Gunakor was een invloedrijke 18e-eeuwse dichter die gevierd werd om zijn meesterschap in het Bengaals en Sanskriet. Hij staat bekend om zijn belangrijke poëtische bijdragen, die een blijvende impact hebben gehad op de Bengaalse literatuur. Zijn lyrische stijl en thematische diepgang blijven resoneren bij lezers, wat zijn plaats als een vooraanstaand literair figuur verstevigt.
This volume of Bharatchandra Ray's narrative poem In Praise of Annada recounts the clandestine love affair of Princess Vidya and Prince Sundar, and how Bhavananda stopped a rebellion and became a king. The translation, the first in English, features the original text in the Bangla script of this treasure of Bengali literature.
"In 1752, the Bengali poet Bharatchandra Ray completed a long narrative poem dedicated to the glory of Annada, Shiva's consort and the divinity who, as her name proclaims, "bestows the bounty of rice." A poet well versed in Sanskrit, Persian, and Hindi--all of which enrich his work--Bharatchandra took up the literary performance genre maṅgalkāvya and thoroughly transformed it, addressing the aesthetic tastes of the court rather than of the traditional village audience. He added depth and sensitivity to well-known legends, along with allusions to his own experiences of poverty, and more than a dash of mischievous wit. The first volume narrates Annada's origins, including the building of her city and temple under Shiva's direction and the spread of her worship, and incorporates praise of his patron, the Nadia royal family. This translation, the first into English, accompanies the original text in the Bangla script. Lively and entertaining, In Praise of Annada was regarded as a major achievement in its own time and remains a treasure of Bengali literature."--