Motiram Bhatta was born in Kathmandu in 1866 at Bhosiko Tole, the second son of Dayaram Bhatta and Ripumardini Devi Bhatta. He was born on Kuse Aunshi (the dark fortnight of the month of Bhadra) and, in a remarkable coincidence, passed away on the very same day in 1896.
His contributions to Nepali literature are immense and incomparable. Widely regarded as the first biographer in Nepali literature, he introduced readers to the life and works of Bhanubhakta Acharya through Kavi Bhanubhaktako Jiwancharitra.
Among his other notable works are his long poem Gajendramoksha (based on the myth of the elephant’s emancipation by Lord Vishnu), Prahlad Bhakti Katha (the story of Prahlad’s devotion), and Ushacharitra, all rooted in mythological themes. His Pikdut echoes the tradition of Kalidasa’s Meghdut, where a bird becomes a messenger to his separated beloved.
Kamal-Bhramar Sambad (dialogues between the lotus and the bee), Bhramargit (the song of the bee), Kavi Samuhnam (the description of poets), Manobeg Prabaha, and Panchak Prapanch are counted among his immortal creations. As a playwright, he produced Shakuntala, Priyadarshika, and Padmabati.As critic Kumar Pradhan noted: “His creative period started in 1883, and before his death at the age of thirty, Motiram is reported to have written many more works than have been published.”
Indeed, Motiram proved himself a genius and a living legend of Nepali literature.
Exposure to the outside world, particularly in India, enriched him with knowledge of Hindi, Urdu, and Persian. He even wrote ghazals, pioneering the genre in Nepali, though his main mission remained the development of Nepali language and literature, his mother tongue. Banaras, a hub for Nepali speakers at the time, became central to this mission.
Critic Abhi Subedi captures him well: “In reality, Motiram is the first conscious artist and a very dexterous craftsman. On top of being a good scholar and lover of language and literature, he was the first critic and the first poet to bring literature to the common people.”
Motiram also engaged in Kuta Padya (knotty poetry) and Samsyapurti (poetic problem-solving), which were fashionable in his time. He adopted these forms, as well as the ghazal style, from the Hindi poet Bharatendu Harishchandra. Thus, he became a pioneer of ghazal writing in Nepali.
Nepali readers are especially indebted to him for bringing Bhanubhakta to light. He researched, compiled, and published Bhanubhakta’s works, beginning with the Balkanda (the childhood episode of Ram), and wrote his full biography. In this way, Motiram ensured Bhanubhakta’s immortal place in Nepali literature.
He was also a pioneer in journalism, at a time when no journal was being published. In 1863, in collaboration with his friend Ram Krishna Verma, who owned a printing press in Banaras, he launched a literary monthly journal titled Gorkha Bharat Jiwan.
As Govinda Raj Bhattarai puts it: “A moment came with Motiram, the visionary, vibrant and multi-talented youth who shone like fire, though his life was extinguished in a remarkably brief period of time. Motiram introduced Bhanubhakta by writing Bhanubhaktako Jeevan Charitra, which has been translated into English by Mitbir Rai of Darjeeling. This is the first biography of Nepal’s first poet, as well as the foundational stone of Nepali criticism.”
Motiram’s ghazals, written with the delicacy of the form, remain memorable.
Pakistani ghazal maestro Mehdi Hasan once explained: “For me, a ghazal is delicate. When a deer is deeply wounded by a hunter, it runs into the forest for its life, and the sound that comes from it just when it’s about to die—that sound is ghazal. Tone, words, and rhythm form the face of the ghazal.
The subjects of love lost, even love won, and wounded sensibilities are deeply enmeshed within the ghazal form. But take it a step further, and it can become metaphoric—the subject in the ghazal can be a country, the love for a country, the yearning for two countries to mingle again. On a higher level, the beloved in the ghazal can also be a reaching out to God.”
In essence, a ghazal is a dialogue between lover and beloved in solitude. Motiram’s ghazals create a soothing effect on readers and listeners alike.
He was a romantic poet at heart, writing lines such as:“Dubai ankhi bhaun ta katar chhan, tarbar kina chahiyo.
Timi afai malik bhai gayau, sarkar kina chahiyo.” (Both of your eyebrows are like knives; why do you need a sword? You have already become the lord; why do you need a government?)
Another of his famous ghazals is: “Jata heryo utai mera najarma Ram pyara chhan.” (Wherever I look, I see my beloved Lord Ram.)
For these reasons, he is considered the father of Nepali ghazal writing, the first singer of love and beauty in Nepali literature. The saying “A thing of beauty is a joy forever” applies perfectly to him.
Madhav Lal Karmacharya also observed: “Sometimes after 1883, a new phase appeared with the introduction of the elements of love and beauty, so that the period came to be known as the period of Sringar Sahitya—literature marked with traits of love and beauty. The pioneer poet of this period was Motiram Bhatta (1886–96).
Thanks to his zeal and enthusiasm, a number of dramas, novels, lyrics, ghazals, folk songs, literary criticisms, and more were published.”
