Volume II,Issue IV, March 2026
Volume-II, Issue-IV, March, 2026 |
Received: 25.03.2026 | Accepted: 28.03.2026 | ||
Published Online: 31.03.2026 | Page No: | ||
DOI: 10.69655/atmadeep.vol.2.issue.04W. | |||
চন্দ্রাবতীর রামায়ণ: প্রথাগত রামকথার প্রতিস্পর্ধী আখ্যান আদিত্য চক্রবর্তী, গবেষক, বঙ্গভাষা ও সাহিত্য বিভাগ, কলিকাতা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত |
Chandrabati Ramayan: A Counter-Narrative to the Traditional Ramayana Tradition Aditya Chakraborty, Research Scholar, Department of Bengali Language and Literature, University of Calcutta, West Bengal, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
Chandrabati’s Ramayana, composed in medieval Bengal, stands as a distinctive counter-narrative to the canonical Ramkatha tradition. Departing from the Valmikian framework, this text reorients the epic’s thematic and emotional centre from Rama to Sita, thereby transforming a predominantly heroic narrative into a deeply gendered and experiential one. Rather than celebrating divine heroism, Chandrabati presents Rama as a flawed human figure, while foregrounding Sita’s suffering, resilience, and inner voice. Drawing upon folk traditions, oral culture, and regional narrative variants, the text resists Brahmanical orthodoxy and challenges the patriarchal structures embedded within traditional retellings of the epic. The selective narration of events, the absence of elaborate war episodes, and the prominence of female experiences collectively contribute to what may be termed a “counter-current” discourse within the Ramayana tradition. Furthermore, Chandrabati’s portrayal of characters such as Mandodari and Kukua deepens the exploration of women’s marginalization, emotional trauma, and social vulnerability in a male-dominated world. The narrative not only reflects personal anguish but also articulates a broader collective feminine consciousness. Thus, Chandrabati’s Ramayana emerges as a significant literary intervention that redefines the moral and ideological contours of the epic. It foregrounds silenced voices, subverts established hierarchies, and offers an alternative, humanized vision of the Ramkatha, making it a crucial precursor to modern feminist reinterpretations. | ||
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