Chaitanya

This is a short yet critical biography of a major religious figure from Hindu Bengal, Krishna Chaitanya (1486–1533), based on extant hagiographical sources from medieval Bengal as also recent scholarly studies. It relies on both Bengali and English language sources, creating a dialogic and dynamic relationship between the two. The book primarily addresses graduate students and interested general readers in an easily accessible and intelligible manner, without taking recourse to copious notes and citations. The intention of this project was to produce a narrative that was both gripping and enjoyable. However, there is also ample material in this book that will interest and motivate the researcher as well. A significant part of this work is a critical evaluation of just how Chaitanya has been perceived and understood after his time, particularly in colonial Bengal where he has come to assume the place of an iconic figure. Interested readers will find the painstakingly compiled appendices quite useful.