Meghnad Badh Kavya

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July 21, 2026

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Meghnad Badh Kavya is an epic poem written by Michael Madhusudan Dutt, a pioneering figure in modern Bengali literature. Published in 1861, the poem retells an episode from the Hindu epic the Ramayana. It focuses on the slaying of Meghnad, son of Ravana, by Lakshmana.1

Dutt was a prolific writer and the first Bengali playwright, also credited with introducing the sonnet form to the language. He experimented with various poetic forms and diction, significantly influencing Bengali literary traditions. The term "kavya" itself refers to an artificial Sanskrit literary style characterized by elaborate figures of speech, hyperbole, and intricate meters, often used in Indian court epics.12

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Michael Madhusudan Dutt
His most important composition was Meghnad Badh Kavya, a retelling of an episode from the Hindu epic the Ramayana in which Meghnad (also called Indrajit), son of the antagonist Ravana, is slain by Lakshmana, half brother of the epic’s main protagonist, Rama. Dutt also wrote the first Bengali play, Sarmistha…
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His most important composition was Meghnad Badh Kavya, a retelling of an episode from the Hindu epic the Ramayana in which Meghnad (also called Indrajit), son of the antagonist Ravana, is slain by Lakshmana, half brother of the epic’s main protagonist, Rama. Dutt also wrote the first Bengali play, Sarmistha…
Read More