Chandidas (1339–1399,Bengali:চণ্ডীদাস) was a medievalBengali poet fromIndia, or possibly more than one.[1] He wrote over 1250 poems related to the love ofRadha andKrishna in medievalBengali.[2][3] The poems of Chandidas withbhanita are found with three different sobriquets along with his name,Baḍu,Dvija andDina as well as without any sobriquet also. It is not clear whether thesebhanitas actually refer to the same person or not. It is assumed by some modern scholars that the poems which are current in the name of Chandidas are actually the works of at least four different Chandidas, who are distinguished from each other by their sobriquets found in thebhanitas. It is also assumed that the earliest of them was AnantaBaḍu Chandidas. His father Durgadas Bagchi, was aBengali Brahmin ofBarendra clan.Baḍu Chandidas has been more or less identified as a historical figure, born in the 14th century in aBengali Brahmin family of a small Tehsil city named Nanoor inBirbhum district of the present-dayWest Bengal state and wrote the lyricalSrikrishna Kirtan (Songs in praise ofKrishna).[1]
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In 1916, theBangiya Sahitya Parishad published the manuscript of theSrikrishna Kirtan discovered by Basanta Ranjan Roy Bidwatballabh atBankura.[4] TheSrikrishna Kirtan, as its name suggests, narrates the story ofKrishna and his companionRadha.[5] The storyline is derived fromShrimad Bhagavatam. However, Baru Chandidas managed to add substantial originality, making it a masterpiece of medievalBengali literature.[2] He is considered to be a prominent Early MiddleBengal poet, however the date of his poemSrikrsnakirtana is still under question, while the text remains one of the most important evidences of early portrayal of the popular story of "Lord Krishna's love for the cowherd girlRadha".[6] The 412 songs of Srikrsnakirtana are divided into thirteen sections that represent the core of the Radha-Krsna legendary cycle, with many variants providing excellent comparative material. The manuscript clearly suggests that the songs meant to be song, and implies particular ragas for the recitation.[6] There is a considerable debate as to the authenticity of the text that has significant religious meaning.
According toBanglapedia, Chandidas was the first Bengali-language poet to be a humanist. He asserted "Shobar upor manush shotto tahar upore nai" ("Above all is humanity, none else").[4] Later literature has also often eulogized Chandidas' love for a Rajakini (a female cloth washer), whether this has any historical basis is not known.
