Novel
The Chieftain's Daughter
দুর্গেশনন্দিনী
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay · 1865
Synopsis
Bengal, in 998 of the Bengali era, under Akbar. Surprised by a storm, a lone horseman takes shelter in a temple of Shiva: he is Jagat Singh, son of the Mughal general Man Singh, sent to contain the Pathans. There he meets Tilottama, daughter of Virendra Singh, lord of the fort of Mandaran, and her attendant Bimala, and falls in love with her. When the Pathans of Katlu Khan take the fortress, he is wounded and taken prisoner; Ayesha, the daughter of the Pathan chief, nurses him and becomes attached to him, while her cousin Osman loves her without return.
Context
The novel appeared in Calcutta in March 1865; its author, a deputy magistrate, was not yet twenty-seven. The ruins of the fort of Gar Mandaran, in the district where he was posted, provided the setting, and he drew on local legends. The book caused a sensation and went through thirteen editions in its author's lifetime. Charu Chandra Mookerjee gave an English translation in 1880, Durgesa Nandini, or The Chieftain's Daughter, under the patronage of the viceroy; other English versions have followed, including that of B. M. Bhalla in 2008.
Who it is for
A historical novel mingling battles and fortress intrigues. It is better to know about the war between the Mughal empire and the Pathan chiefs for Bengal. No French translation.
Prizes and reception
Hailed as a novel that opened a new era, it is regarded as the first great Bengali novel, and was its author's first in that language.
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