Raghunath Pandit

citations

Raghunath Pandit was a gifted Marathi poet who was active around the year 1800.

Marathi poetry went through a phase where text drew heavily on religious mythology and was dominated by language heavily influenced by Sanskrit which ordinary people cannot understand. The language is masterful and sparkling but obscure. This literature is called Pant-Sahitya. Raghunath Pandit was one of its major practitioners and wrote the famous Nal-Damayanti Swayamwar Akhyan.

Other famous exponents of Pant-Sahitya were Vaman Pandit (1608-1695), Shridhar Pandit and Moropant (Paradkar) (1729-1794). Several scholars were experts in this field around 1900 but slowly their numbers dwindled. Laxman Ramchand (La Raa) Pangarkar was a noted authority on Sant-Sahitya and Pant-Sahitya. Tukaram and Ramdas were the last major poets of Sant-Sahitya and Bhakti Parampara. The next phase of Bhakti was marked by Pant-Sahitya. Around this time, other popular forms of poetry like Powada, Phatka, Lavani also existed. Starting with Keshavasut in the late 19th C, Marathi poetry made a departure from Pant parampara. It became more modern in outlook, easier to understand, expanded its horizons, and the new brigade of poets was also influenced by English poetry.

References

reflist* http://indiaheritage.org/creative/creative_literature_gujarati%20_marathi.htm
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathi_poetry
* http://www.indianetzone.com/2/marathi_literature.htm