Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay - Important figure in Literary Renaissance of Bengal

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee or Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was a nationalist author from West Bengal. He was born on 27 June 1838 in Naihati, Bengal Presidency, British India (present-day West Bengal, India). Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was a poet, journalist, and novelist. In Bengali, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay is known as the Emperor of Literature (Sahitya Samrat).

This article will provide information about Bankim Chandra Chatterjee [1838-1894] in the context of the IAS Exam.

This article is useful for the history (GS I) segment of the UPSC Syllabus.

The candidates can read more Modern History topics from the links provided below:

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay – Image of Bharat Mata

• An image or a figure is usually used to symbolise the identity of a nation.
• People find it helpful to identify the nation with an image.
• The image of Bharat Mata came to be visually associated with the identity of India, this happened due to the rise of nationalism in the twentieth century.
• The first image of Bharat Mata was created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay – Vande Mataram, Anandmath

• As a hymn to the motherland, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote ‘Vande Mataram’ in the 1870s.
• During the Swadeshi Movement in Bengal, Vande Mataram was widely sung by the people.
• Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay added the Vande Mataram song to his novel Anandmath.
• The novel – Anandmath was written in 1882 by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
• Anandmath inspired strong political movements because of the nation that was imagined in the novel.
• Many freedom fighters were inspired by Anandmath.
• It was a novel about a militia trying to establish a kingdom.

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay – Other Important Influence & Inspirations

• The organisation Anushilan Samiti was influenced by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
• Bankim’s cultural and martial nationalism, focus on spartan life and hard work influenced Anushilan Samiti. The name of the organization – Anushilan, was derived from this philosophy of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
• Anushilan Samiti was an Indian organisation in the first quarter of the 20th century that supported revolutionary violence as the means for ending British rule in India.
• Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s reinterpretation of Bhagavad Gita had strongly influenced nationalism.

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay – Most Notable Literary Works

Some of the most notable works of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay are

• Durgeshnandini
• Kapalkundala
• Devi Chaudhurani
• Ananda Math
• Bishabriksha

Anandamath

• It is considered one of the most important novels in the history of Indian and Bengali literature.
• It is inspired by and set in the background of the Sannyasi Rebellion in the late 18th century.
• It is a Bengali fiction published in 1882.

Durgeshnandini

• It is a Bengali romance novel written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and published in 1865.
• In the history of Bengali literature, this is the first major Bengali novel.
• It is also the first Bengali novel written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.

Kapalkundala

• It is a Bengali Romance Novel published by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1866.

Devi Chaudhurani

• It is a Bengali novel written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and published in 1884.
• This novel was banned by the British as it fuelled the patriotic struggle for Indian independence from the British Empire.
• Armed face-to-face conflict with the Royal Army is the only way to win independence was the belief reinforced in this novel.
• After independence, the Indian Government removed the ban on this book.

Bishabriksha

• This novel written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was published in 1873.
• This novel deals with the topic of widow remarriage.

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