Somnath Sigdel

Somnath Sigdel
Nepali stamp featuring Sigdel
Born(1884-10-05)October 5, 1884
Nepal
Died1972 (aged 87–88)
Nepal
Notable workMadhya Chandrikā (1920)
Aadarsha Raghav (1948)
Digambar Bibaha

Somnath Sigdel (Nepali: सोमनाथ सिग्देल or Nepali: सोमनाथ सिग्द्याल; 1884–1972; also known as Somnath Sigdyal) was a Nepalese renowned scholar and author.

Biography[edit]

Somnath Sigdel was born on 5 October 1884 to Jagannath Sigdel in Nepal.[1] His father was a Pandit of Vyākaraṇa , Dharmaśāstra and Jyotisa.[2] He studied at Ranipokhari Sanskrit Pathashala in Kathmandu and later he moved to Banaras where he got a degree from Queens College Benares.[1] Sigdel also served as principal of Valmiki Sanskrit College in Kathmandu.[1] Later he was made a member of Nepal Academy.[1]

From 1906, he started to published poems in the magazine Sundari from Banaras.[3] In 1920, He published Madhya Chandrikā (lit. Middle grammar).[1] His Aadarsha Raghav (1948) is regarded as the modern Nepali version of Ramayana.[4] Sigdel's poems were written in the style of Motiram Bhatta.[5] His comic Digambar Bibaha is one of the earliest kind published in Nepal.[6]

He was given the title of Pandit Raj (Master Scholar) by King Mahendra.[1] Sigdel died in 1972.[1] In 1973, the Government of Nepal issued postage stamps featuring Sigdel.[7] He was awarded Tribhuvan Pragya Award for his contributions to language, literature, culture, and Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu.[8]

Works[edit]

  • Madhya Chandrikā (1920)[9]
  • Aadarsha Raghav (1948)[10]
  • Digambar Bibaha[11]
  • Suktisindhu
  • Shakti Ballabh
  • Laghu Chandrika

Awards[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Mainali, Pramod (2000). Milestones of History. Pramod Mainali. p. 75. ISBN 978-99933-57-60-5.
  2. ^ Tripathi, Radhavallabh (2012). Ṣaṣṭyabdasaṃskr̥tam: Countries other than India. Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan and D.K. Printworld. p. 210. ISBN 978-81-246-0630-8.
  3. ^ Subedi, Abhi (1978). Nepali Literature: Background & History. Sajha Prakashan. p. 41.
  4. ^ Tattvālokah. Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Educational Trust. 1989. p. 48.
  5. ^ Occasional Papers in the Humanities & Social Sciences. Institute of Humanities & Social Sciences, Tribhuvan University. 1978. p. 50.
  6. ^ Pān̐ḍe, Rāmakumāra (2000). Nepalese Humor: Himalayan Humor. Muskan Prakashan. p. 41.
  7. ^ "Shri Somnath Sigdel". iStampGallery. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Pragya Award". Nepal Academy. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  9. ^ Pradhan, Kumar (1984). A History of Nepali Literature. Sahitya Akademi. p. 81.
  10. ^ Rana, Pashupati Shumshere J. B.; Malla, Kamal Prakash (1973). Nepal in Perspective. Centre for Economic Development and Administration.
  11. ^ Singh, Harischandra Lal (1980). Principal Records of Nepal. Satish Singh. p. 63.