Powada

2021-11-02T04:12:30Z

2409:4042:220E:7706:F60E:82D8:B105:F2DC: /* Details */There was no Peshwa rule. Peshwa was a minister of the Chhatrapti

{{More citations needed|date=May 2021}}The '''powada''' ({{lang-mr|पोवाडा}}) is a genre of [[Marathi poetry]] that was during the late 17th century in India. Powada, which means ‘to glorify’, is a traditional Marathi ballad that traces its history to more than 750 years<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Sep 9|first=Avijit Chatterjee / TNN /|last2=2018|last3=Ist|first3=11:33|title=Packing power into a Powada {{!}} Pune News - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/packing-power-into-a-powada/articleshow/65739690.cms|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510051750/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/packing-power-into-a-powada/articleshow/65739690.cms|archive-date=2021-05-10|access-date=2021-05-10|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref> Powadas often glorified and celebrated deeds of popular folk figures and leaders such as [[Shivaji|Chhatrapati Shivaji]] and [[Tanaji Malusare]], and were also written to raise awareness on social issues such as [[female foeticide]], [[dowry]] and [[corruption]]. Powadas were also used as a medium to create an awareness during [[Samyukta Maharashtra movement]].<ref name=":0" />

==Details==
The composer-cum-singers of the powadas are known as ''Shahir''s. The professional powada singers formed a guild or caste known as the ''Gondhali''s. The earliest notable powada was ''The Killing of Afzal Khan'' (''अफझल खानाचा वध'') by Agnidas, which recorded [[Shivaji|Shivaji's]] encounter with [[Afzal Khan (general)|Afzal Khan]]. The next notable powada was ''Tanaji Malusare'' (''[[Tanaji Malusare|तानाजी मालुसरे]]'' ) by Tulsidas, which gave an account of the capture of [[Sinhagad Fort]] by [[Tanaji Malusare|Tanaji]].<ref>Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2007). ''The Mughul Empire'', Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, {{Listed Invalid ISBN|81-7276-407-1}}, p.584</ref> Another notable contemporary powada was ''Baji Pasalkar'' (''बाजी पसाळकर'' ) by Yamaji Bhaskar. They are also mentioned in the 13th century [[Marathi language|Marathi]] scripture [[Dnyaneshwari]].<ref name=":0" />

During the [[Maratha Confederacy]] rule, several celebrated ''Shahir'' poet-singers, which include [[Ram Joshi]] (1762–1812), [[Anant Phandi]] (1744–1819), [[Honaji Bala]] (1754–1844) and Prabhakar (1769–1843), [[Annabhau Sathe]] (1920 - 1969), Atmaram Patil and Amar Sheikh composed a number of powadas.

About sixty ''powada''s were collected by [[Harry Arbuthnot Acworth]] and [[S. T. Shaligram]] and published under the title, ''The Saga of Historical Heroic Men and Women'' (''इतिहास प्रसिद्ध महापुरुषांचे व स्त्रियांचे पोवाडे '') in 1891. Out of these, ten ''powada''s were translated into [[English language|English]] verse by H. A. Acworth and published as ''Ballads of the Marathas'' in 1894.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gupta|first=Manik Lal|title=Sources of Mughal History|year=1989|publisher=Atlantic|location=New Delhi|isbn=81-7156-125-X|page=89|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rxD3hZox2ZMC&q=Acworth+Shaligram+Marathi+Ballads&pg=PA89}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
* In the [[Marathi language|Marathi]] movie, ''[[Me Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy]]'' (2009), the powada, ''Afzal Khanacha Vadh'' is played.
* [[Tanhaji]], a 2020 Hindi movie, was made based on the [[Tanaji Malusare]] powada.

==See also==
* [[Marathi literature]]
* [[Indian literature]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
*H. A. Acworth and S. T. Shaligramgot the powada of afazaj vadha written by aagindas in kolhapur shivshahir purshottam raut

==External links==
* [http://www.powade.com A website on powada]
* [http://www.transliteral.org/keywords/povada/word Povada/पोवाडा at TransLiteral.org]

{{Folk music}}
{{Indian Music}}

[[Category:Marathi-language literature]]
[[Category:Indian folk music| ]]
[[Category:Indian styles of music]]

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