This List of Bengali poets includes poets who write in Bengali language who produce Bengali poetry. This list classifies poets into three groups based on geographical location. These are poets from Bangladesh, poets from West Bengal of India and poets from other parts of the world including Bengali Diaspora and non-Bengali people writing poetry in Bengali. However, the list starts with early Bengali poets to be followed by those who are identified not only with Indian sub-continent before partition in 1947, but also as founders of Bengali poetry. The list also contains separate sub-lists of "rhyme composers" and "song writers". Finally, there are two sub-sets of woman poets and poets in exile.[1]

Early poets

Siddhacharyas (6th to 12th CE)

The poets of the Charyāpada (Bengali: চর্যাপদ), known as the Siddhacharyas, lived in eastern India and Nepal. The names of the Siddhacharyas in Sanskrit (or its Tibetan language equivalent), and the raga in which the verse was to be sung, are mentioned prior to each pada (verse). The surviving 50 manuscripts contains the name of 24 Siddhacharyas including Lui Pa, Kukkuri Pa, Birua Pa, Gundari Pa, Chatil Pa, Bhusuku Pa, Kanha Pa, Kambalambar Pa, Dombi Pa, Shanti Pa, Mahitta Pa, Bina Pa, Saraha Pa, Shabar Pa, Aryadeb Pa, Dhendhan Pa, Darik Pa, Bhade Pa, Tadak Pa, Kankan Pa, Ja’anandi Pa, Dham Pa, Tanti Pa and Loridombi Pa. Most of these names were pseudonyms as the poets rejected Vedic Hinduism and profess Sahajayana Buddhism. Lui Pa is considered as the earliest poet of Charyapadas. Kanha Pa's 11 poems survived which is the largest number among these poets.[2]

The poets and their works as mentioned in the text are as follows:

Poet Pada (verse)
Luipāda 1,29
Kukkuripāda 2, 20, 48
Virubāpāda 3
Gundaripāda 4
Chatillapāda 5
Bhusukupāda 6, 21, 23, 27, 30, 41, 43, 49
Kānhapāda 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 24, 36, 40, 42, 45
Kambalāmbarapāda 8
Dombipāda 14
Shantipāda 15, 26
Mahidharapāda 16
Vināpāda 17
Sarahapāda 22, 32, 38, 39
Shabarapāda 28, 50
Āryadevapāda 31
Dhendhanapāda 33
Darikapāda 34
Bhādepāda 35
Tādakapāda 37
Kankanapāda 44
Jayanandipāda 46
Dhāmapāda 47
Tantripāda 25

Medieval Poets

Poet Pen Name Era Work
Nur Qutb Alam 14th century Nur Qutb Alam wrote poetry in Middle Bengali using the Persian alphabet.[3]
Chandidas c. 14th century Chandidas was the first humanist in Bengali poetry. He asserted

"Shobar upor manush shotto tahar upore nai" ("Above all is humanity, none else").[4]

Krittibas Ojha c. 1381-1461 CE He translated Indian epic the Valmiki Ramayana into Bengali.
Shah Muhammad Saghir c. 14th century Considered as the earliest Bengali Muslim poet. His best known work is Yusuf-Zulekha.
Zainuddin c. 15th century Composed a fictional tale titled Rasul Bijay, the source of which is said to have been a novel

in the Persian language.

Afzal Ali c. 16th century Best known for his magnum opus, Nasihatnama.
Dawlat Wazir Bahram Khan c. 16th century Best known for his magnum opus Laily-Majnu which is a thematic Bengali adaptation of

Jami's version of the classic tale.

Syed Sultan c. 16th century Best known for his magnum opus, the Nabibangsha, which was one of the first translations

of the Qisas Al-Anbiya into the Bengali language.

Chandravati c. 16th century Considered as the first known female poet of Bengali language. Best known for her

women-centered epic Ramayana.

Khelaram Chakrabarty c. 16th century One of the earliest poet of Dharmamangal kavya tradition.
Manik Datta c. 16th century Earliest poet of the Chandimangal kavya
Dwija Madhab or

Madhabacharya

 c. 16th century One of the most significant contributor to Chandimangal kavya tradition.
Mukundaram Chakrabarti Kabikankan (Bracelet of Poets) c. 16th century His work, known as the Abhayamangal
Daulat Qazi 1600-1638 CE The first Bengali poet to write under the patronage of the Arakan court during the Mrauk-U dynasty.
Alaol Pandit Kabi (Pandit of Poets) 1607-1680 CE Well known work is Padmavati, which depicts the story of Padmavati, the Sinhalese princess.
Abdul Hakim 1620-1690 CE Most notable work was Nur Nama (Story of Light), a depiction of the life of Muhammad.
Rupram Chakrabarty c. 17th century His work, Anadimangal
Muhammad Muqim c. 18th century
Rahimunnessa 1763–1800 CE Notable works of her Bengali translation of the Persian Laily Majnu and the poem Payar Chanda.
Heyat Mahmud 1693–1760 CE
Akinchan Chakrabarty Kavindra (Great Poet) c. 18th century
Ghanaram Chakrabarty c. 1669-?
Ramprasad Sen c. 1723 – c. 1775 His bhakti poems, known as Ramprasadi
Aju Gossain c. 18th century
Bharatchandra Ray 1712–1760 CE Mostly known for his poetic work, Annadamangal or Annapurnamangal

Founders of modern Bengali poetry

Poet Image Pen Name Era Work
Iswarchandra Gupta 1812-1859 CE
Michael Madhusudan Dutta 1824-1873 CE
Nabinchandra Sen 1847-1909 CE
Kazem Ali Quereshi Kaykobad 1857-1951 CE
Akshay Kumar Baral 1860-1919 CE
Rabindranath Tagore Gurudev, Kabiguru, and Biswakabi 1861-1941 CE He was a Bengali polymath- Poet, Novelist, Playwright or Dramatist, Short-story writer, Music composer, Essayist, Philosopher, Literary critics, Social reformer, Politician, Painter. In 1913 he became the first non-European to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Dwijendralal Ray 1863-1913 CE
Jatindramohan Bagchi 1878-1948 CE
Satyendranath Dutta 1882-1922 CE
Jatindranath Sengupta 1887-1954 CE
Mohitlal Majumdar 1888-1952 CE
Kazi Nazrul Islam 1899-1976 CE
Jibanananda Das 1899-1954 CE
Jasimuddin 1903-1976 CE

Bengali poets from other parts of the world

Hungryalist poets

Metrical poets

Song composers

Poets of Kolkata

Poets of North Bengal

Bibliography

  • Biletey Bishsotoker Bangla Kobi, Rabbani Choudhury, Agamee Prakashani, Dhaka 2000
  • Bangladesher Gronthoponji Boimela 2009, Rabbani Choudhury, Agamee Prakashani, Dhaka 2009
  • Shanghati Tritio Banglar Lekok Porichithi Boimela 2009, Shanghati Literary Society, UK

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Bangla Literature - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  2. ↑ "Charyapada - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  3. ↑ Shahidullah, Muhammad (February 1963). "হযরত নূরুদ্দীন নূরুল হক নূর কুতবুল আলম (রহঃ)" [Hazrat Nuruddin Nurul Haq Nur Qutbul Alam (Rah.)]. ইসলাম প্রসঙ্গ (in Bengali) (1 ed.). Dacca: Mawla Brothers. p. 99.
  4. ↑ "Chandidas - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
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