20 Facts About Upendra Bhanja

Upendra Bhanja was born during 1670 in Kulagarh, Ghumusar Zamindari, present day Kulada near Bhanjanagar, 80 kms from the Silk City Brahmapur, Odisha and died during 1740.

Upendra Bhanja's first wife was the sister of the king of Nayagarh and the daughter of the king of Banapur was his second wife, who was an erudite princess and gave Upendra Bhanja poetical inspiration in an abundant measure.

Upendra Bhanja's grandfather King Dhananjaya Bhanja was a great poet and wrote Raghunatha Bilasa, Ratna Manjari etc.

Upendra Bhanja had a thorough training in Sanskrit classical literature and mastered Sanskrit dictionaries such as Amara Kosha, Trikanda Kosha and Medini Kosha.

Upendra Bhanja even wrote a dictionary Geetabhidhana in Odia for helping poets.

The music of Upendra Bhanja is central to Odissi music, the traditional classical music of the state of Odisha and Bhanja is widely respected as one of the greatest Odissi composers of all time.

Upendra Bhanja wrote some 52 books of which only 22 are available now.

Upendra Bhanja was rather entitled as "Birabara" as written by Bhanja himself in his kabyas.

Birabara is the epithet, my name is Upendra By serving Sita and Rama have I received their grace.

Upendra Bhanja contributed 32,300 words to Odia language and literature.

Plot and character in Upendra Bhanja literature plays negligible role but imaginary ornamental expression by way of literary techniques of the classical Indian literature dominates with magnetic, lovable, intellectual manner.

So, study of Upendra Bhanja requires high academic pursuits as well as sensible appreciation of art and literary value of the reader along with wide study range in the field of classical Indian literature and appreciable order of morality and spiritual thought.

The works of Upendra Bhanja are based on Odissi classical music.

Upendra Bhanja uses ragas and talas unique to the Odissi tradition and has thereby enriched the repertoire.

Upendra Bhanja's compositions are well-known across the state of Odisha and are frequently employed in Odissi dance as well as Gotipua, Sakhi Nata, Prahallada Nataka, Radha Prema Lila and other allied artforms.

Upendra Bhanja wrote in the last decade of seventeenth and the early decades of eighteenth century and championed a style of poetry called 'Reeti' and 'Deena' in Sanskrit poetics.

Whether it is shringara, viraha, bhakti or karuna rasa, Upendra Bhanja is the poet of unsurpassed rhetorical excellence.

The greatness of Upendra Bhanja was in his "Alankara" use such as: Anuprasa, Jamak, etc.

Upendra Bhanja is not only eminent poet of Odisha but his writings will be explained through all classical contemporary music systems of India.

Once a modern poet Guru Prasad wrote "Upendra Bhanja means a woman and a Dictionary".