Nepali literature

Nepali literature refers to the body of literature written in the mountainous Asian nation of Nepal or by citizens of the country. Early Nepali literature was first composed in Sanskrit and then written in the Nepali language. Other literature was composed in Newari and Maithili. However, Nepali is the most widespread of the languages. It has been the national language of Nepal since 1958. Early Nepali literature was largely rooted in religious poetry. However, over time, there has been a shift to more secular pieces. Poetry has also been joined by fiction and nonfiction writing in the form of novels, short stories, travel writing, and script writing. Like most early forms of literature, Nepali literature first existed through spoken folktales passed down through generations. The Bhanubhakta Ramayana, a version of the Sanskrit epic poem Ramayana, is believed to be the first written piece of Nepali literature. It was written in Sanskrit, an ancient language that was accessible only to the priestly caste known as Brahmins at that time. The Brahmins represented the highest-level group within the caste system. Thus, those in the lower castes were not involved with literature.

Twenty-first century literature has been influenced by other countries and trends. Nepal does not have a large market; however, fiction and nonfiction books are becoming more widely sought. Social and political issues still influence writers. Creative writing in and of itself is a difficult field to sustain a career, particularly in Nepal. Most writers in Nepal work in other professions for their primary form of income.

Brief history

Nepal is a land-locked, Asian country that is situated along the southern part of the Himalayan Mountain range. It is just under 57,000 square miles (147,629 square kilometers) and shares a border with India on three sides and with the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north. The geography of Nepal is eclectic. On one hand, it features rich, fertile plains, while at the same time boasting eight of the ten largest mountains in the world. This includes Mt. Everest, which at 29,032-feet (8,849-meters) tall is the highest point on Earth. Nepal’s capital is Kathmandu, a city with 1.5 million people as of 2022. About 44.6 percent of the population speak Nepali, another 11.7 percent speak Maithali, and 6 percent speak Bhojpuri. An estimated 81.3 percent of the population follow the Hindu region.

Nepal’s landlocked nature between two sprawling countries has sometimes placed it in a difficult political position. Nepal was closed to the outside world until a palace revolt in 1950. It restored the king’s authority in 1951 and gained admittance to the United Nations in 1955. Nearly forty years later, Nepal established a multi-party parliamentary system. However, because of violence and unrest that lasted nearly a decade, the monarchy dissolved in 1991.

The name Nepal dates to the Vedic period on the subcontinent of India. The Vedic period lasted from approximately 1500 to 500 BCE. During this time, Vedic literature, including the Vedas, was composed in the northern section of the Indian subcontinent. The Vedas were religious texts written in Vedic Sanskrit. For Nepal, some of the earliest pieces of literature also focused on religious texts. Non-religious literature took more of a foothold in the nineteenth century. In 1830, a group of Nepali poets wrote on the themes of the Hindu epics, Ramayana and the Bhāgavata-Purāna, and were heavily influenced by poetry and classic Sanskrit themes. More modern Nepali literature, specifically poetry, came about in the early-twentieth century. Though political and social issues are still the subject of Nepali literature, modern topics more frequently address love, tyranny, patriotism, and poverty, in particular.

Overview

Bhanubhakta Acharya is considered to be the father of Nepali literature, as well as Nepal’s first poet. He was born in 1813 and later moved to Varanasi, India. He is known for translating the Sanskrit epic Ramayana into the Nepali language, making it more accessible to the people. Prior to this, the work was entirely in the Sanskrit language, which was exclusively sued by the priestly caste. This made it inaccessible to those who did not have the formal education or opportunity to learn the language. Acharya’s work was entitled the Bhanubhakta Ramayana, which was published in 1887, nineteen years after his death. It is considered by some to be a major historic step in providing public access to religious works. Acharya’s translated creation was so well-received, that for many years it was recited in homes as “God’s story.” However, slowly, the retelling of the story shifted away from Acharya’s written text.

By the nineteenth century, non-religious poetry and stories emerged as people desired to expand their interests beyond religious texts. Poetry and shorter stories increased in popularity, as did more creative works like Laxmi Prasad Devkota’s poem, Muna-Madan. The piece is a poem written as a folk song. The story begins with Muna-Madan narrating the tale. In the story, a man leaves for another country with the dream of providing a better life for his family. He goes to the Chinese city of Lhasa, where he is unable to return home to deal with a family emergency. Written in 1936, the poem has become one of Nepal’s best sellers.

Apart from works based on religion, Nepali authors also wrote eulogies, poems praising the gods, tantric love rituals, and political issues. These topics represented the Heroic Age, the Age of Devotional Poetry. the Age of the Amorous, and the Pre-Modern Age, respectively. The writings helped the language of Nepali expand and solidify itself.

Ultimately, Nepali literature before Muna-Madan centered on accepting anything that happened as the will of the gods. Rational explanations were not necessary, and because the gods were above humans, humans could not understand their logic. Fate was set and had to be accepted. Following the works of Devkota, Motiram Bhatta’s poetry reignited interest in Acharya’s work. Bhatta is considered Nepal’s first biographer and literary critic and is said to have introduced prose to the region. He is also thought to have started the first private printing press in Nepal. Not surprising to those familiar with Nepali literature, Bhatta wrote Acharya’s biography, Kabi Bhanubhakta ko Jivan Charitra (The Biography of Bhanubhakta Acharya) in 1891. Bhatta began his career as a folk singer and also played the sitar. As he became more involved in literature, Bhatta, who spoke at least five languages, got Nepal into worldwide literature activities and created a Nepali language magazine in 1866. Bhatta is considered one of Nepal’s national heroes, with the period between 1883 and 1919 referred to in Nepal as the Motiram era.

Twentieth century Nepali literature was heavily influenced by social movements and political changes happening throughout the country. For example, the period from the mid-1990s through the first decade of the twenty-first century marked the Maoist revolution, which was a period of national violence. The changes occurring in Nepal were reflected in work written at that time. Themes of protest and eulogies were common, as authors used their creativity to convey their thoughts—both in terms of protest and prose. Also in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the people of Nepal began to become less isolated as they began to travel to other countries. The result has been an increase in Nepali-language literature being produced from all corners of the world.

Although Nepali literature—and writings in general—have been subject to censorship, the environment in modern Nepal is much more open than in the past. For example, the Gorkha Language Publication Committee was created in 1913 to control the press and publication of literature and other works. Books could be censored if topics were too political in nature or pushed the bounds of criticism. However, in 2022, the government allows more openness with publications. There is also more diversity in the subject matter of literature, with marginalized groups such as women and those with disabilities receiving more representation. This includes the Dalit caste, the poor and illiterate who were previously known as “untouchables.” A form of fiction called “creative anarchy” or srijansil arajakta took a foothold in the nation. The movement aimed to give a voice to the unheard (or unnoticed).

Bibliography

Acharya, Tulasi. “The Nepali Literary Environment.” The Kathmandu Post, 16 Apr. 2022, kathmandupost.com/columns/2022/04/16/the-nepali-literary-environment. Accessed 29 Nov. 2022.

Devkota, Laxmi Prasad. “Muna Madan.” Exotic India, www.exoticindiaart.com/book/details/muna-madan-nao958/. Accessed 29 Nov. 2022.

“History of Nepal.” Government of Nepal, mofa.gov.np/about-nepal/history-of-nepal/. Accessed 29 Nov. 2022.

Hutt, Michael, ed. Himalayan Voices: An Introduction to Modern Nepali Literature. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 1993.

Joshi, Amma Raj. “Silk Routes: Literary Arts in Nepal.” The University of Iowa, Mar. 2014, iwp.uiowa.edu/silkroutes/city/kathmandu/text/literary-arts-nepal. Accessed 28 Nov. 2022.

“Nepali Poet Bhanubhakta Acharya’s 209th Birth Anniversary, a Peek Into the ‘Adikavi’s’ Life.” The Print. 13 July 2022, theprint.in/india/nepali-poet-bhanubhakta-acharyas-209th-birth-anniversary-a-peek-into-the-adikavis-life/1036663/. Accessed 28 Nov. 2022.

Turner, Elen. “Beyond Mount Everest: Essential Contemporary Writing from Nepal.” Literary Hub. 4 June 2020, lithub.com/beyond-mount-everest-essential-contemporary-writing-from-nepal/. Accessed 28 Nov. 2022.