Bhanubhakta

Bhanubhakta Acharya, commonly known as Bhanu Acharya, was a Nepali poet and translator who lived in the 19th century. He is widely regarded as the first major poet of the Nepali language and for translating the Ramayana from Sanskrit into Nepali verse, an achievement that helped establish Nepali as a literary language and made the epic accessible to a broad audience.

Born in present-day Tanahun District, Nepal, Bhanubhakta came from a Brahmin family and received instruction in Sanskrit and religious literature. His Nepali rendering of the Ramayana, written in accessible verse, popularized the epic and introduced many readers to classical stories in their own language. The work is celebrated for its clarity, moral tone, and its role in shaping modern Nepali literary expression.

Bhanubhakta’s legacy extends beyond his translation. He is often regarded as the Adikavi, or first poet, of Nepali literature, and his Ramayana remains a cornerstone of Nepali cultural and literary life. The poem is studied in schools, recited in cultural and religious settings, and commemorated in various ways, underscoring his lasting influence on language, identity, and national literature. While modern scholarship explores the fuller scope of his life and other writings, his contribution to the development of written Nepali and to the broader literary tradition is widely acknowledged.