Dutt, Romesh Chunder: The literature of Bengal: being an attempt to trace the progress of the national mind in its various aspects, as reflected in the nation’s literature from the earliest times to the present day ; with copious extracts from the best writers (Calcutta, 1877)

. MA&UNDA RAM CHAKRAVARTI. 113

The descendants of Raghunath, the pupil and pro-
tector* of the poet, live in Sentipote a village about Tour
mile's from Anra. Their estates have all been taben over
by the Raja of Burdwan, and Ram Hari Deb,»the lineal
descendant of Raghunath, lives in an estate which gives
a small income after paying revenue to • Government.«
Pandit Nyayaratna, from whose work we have obtained
this information, has extracted a few lines of the original
work, "Chandi," said to be in the handwriting of the
poet himself which is in the possession of this Ram Hari
Deb. As £he " Chandi" has never been so popular a
wiork as the Ramayana, there has been much less scope
for the mischievous propensity of our Bartollah editors

to " improve" upon the original text, and s,o the differ-

• >

ence between the present Calcutta editions and the pas-
sages quoted from the old edition are very few and quite
immaterial. Still however it would be something to have
the old wrork in its integrity,*and he who gives us an
edition of the old text will no doubt deserve the thanks
of the community.

Makunda Ram has left us two poems, and we have
no m^ana of ascertaining if he composed any more. The
first is a tale of Kalketu, a hunter, and his wife Fullora,
and the other one is the celebrated story of Srimanta
Sadagar. We shall briefly narrate the plot of each poem
and then pase on to an examination of it merits.

The book begins as usual with prayers to several
gods and goddesses, and with an account of Chandi;
her previous existence as the daughter of Daksha; tho
demolition of his celebrated Sacrifice by Siva; Chandi's