Gopal Bhar - Revision history

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	{{short description\|Court jester in 18th-century Bengal}}		{{short description\|Court jester in 18th-century Bengal}}
			{{More citations needed\|date=January 2022}}
	{{Infobox royalty		{{Infobox royalty
	\| image = Statue of Gopal Bhar 02.jpg		\| name = Gopal Bhar
	\| alt =		\| title = [[Court Jester]] of Krishnanagar
	\| caption = Statue of Gopal Bhar at Krishnanagar, Nadia		\| image = Statue of Gopal Bhar 02.jpg
	\| birth_name = Gopal Chandra Pramanik		\| alt =
	\| birth_date =		\| caption = Statue of Gopal Bhar at Krishnanagar, Nadia
	\| birth_place = [[Ghurni]], [[Nadia Raj]] (present-day [[Krishnanagar, Nadia]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]])		\| birth_name = Gopal Chandra Pramanik
	\| death_date =		\| birth_date =
	\| death_place = [[Krishnanagar, Nadia\|Krishnanagar]], [[Nadia Raj]] (present-day [[West Bengal]], [[India]])		\| birth_place = [[Ghurni]], [[Nadia Raj]] (present-day [[Krishnanagar, Nadia]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]])
	\| occupation = [[Courtier]] and [[jester]] in the court of [[Raja Krishnachandra]]		\| death_date =
			\| death_place = [[Krishnanagar, Nadia\|Krishnanagar]], [[Nadia Raj]] (present-day [[West Bengal]], [[India]])
			\| spouse = Parvati
			\| occupation = [[Courtier]] and [[jester]] in the court of [[Raja Krishnachandra]]
	}}		}}
	'''Gopal Bhar''' or '''Gopal [[Bhand]]''' ({{lang-bn\|গোপাল ভাঁড়}} {{IPA-bn\|ˈgopal bʱãˑɽ\|}}) was a court [[jester]] in medieval [[Bengal]]. He was in the court of [[Raja Krishnachandra]] (1710–1783), the then-king of [[Nadia District\|Nadia]] in the 18th century.<ref>Siegel, Lee (1987). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=d1qZhZz5RuEC Laughing Matters: Comic Tradition in India]''. University of Chicago Press, United States. {{ISBN\|0-226-75691-2}}. pp. 314-318.</ref> Gopal used to give joy to others by laughter and ridicule. The king considered Gopal as a [[Navaratnas\|Navaratna]] of his court. His statue can still be seen in the palace of [[Raja Krishnachandra\|Krishnachandra]] and in [[Ghurni]], Krishnagar town. Gopal is believed to have possessed a keen intelligence.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/legendary-jester-gopal-bhar-to-be-poll-mascot-in-nadia/1/619785.html\|title=Legendary jester Gopal Bhar to be poll mascot in Nadia\|date=March 14, 2016\|website=Indiatoday.in\|access-date=February 16, 2017}}</ref>		'''Gopal Bhar''' or '''Gopal [[Bhand]]''' ({{lang-bn\|গোপাল ভাঁড়}} {{IPA-bn\|ˈgopal bʱãˑɽ\|}}) was a court [[jester]] in medieval [[Bengal]]. He was in the court of [[Raja Krishnachandra]] (1710–1783), the then-king of [[Nadia District\|Nadia]] in the 18th century.<ref>Siegel, Lee (1987). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=d1qZhZz5RuEC Laughing Matters: Comic Tradition in India]''. University of Chicago Press, United States. {{ISBN\|0-226-75691-2}}. pp. 314-318.</ref> Gopal used to give joy to others by laughter and ridicule. The king considered Gopal as a [[Navaratnas\|Navaratna]] of his court. His statue can still be seen in the palace of [[Raja Krishnachandra\|Krishnachandra]] and in [[Ghurni]], Krishnagar town. Gopal is believed to have possessed a keen intelligence.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/legendary-jester-gopal-bhar-to-be-poll-mascot-in-nadia/1/619785.html\|title=Legendary jester Gopal Bhar to be poll mascot in Nadia\|date=March 14, 2016\|website=Indiatoday.in\|access-date=February 16, 2017}}</ref>

	== Life ==		== Life ==
	Gopal, born in a low-caste family, was precocious since childhood. His father died when Gopal was young, and his mother was murdered via [[Sati-daha]]. His older brother was forced into slavery and he was abducted by a robber gang. Eventually a lady raised him, and in adulthood Gopal became a presence in the royal court of Krishnanagar. Gopal ~~left krishnanagar~~ in ~~1757~~. ~~And~~ there is ~~a cartoon made based on this real life story~~		Gopal, born in a low-caste family, was precocious since childhood. His father died when Gopal was young, and his mother was murdered via [[Sati-daha]]. His older brother was forced into slavery and he was abducted by a robber gang. Eventually a lady raised him, and in adulthood Gopal became a presence in the royal court of [[Krishnanagar, Nadia\|Krishnanagar]] in [[West Bengal]]. This courtier of [[Raja Krishnachandra]] was a witness in the most heinous conspiracy to remove the Nawab of Bengal. But Gopal never gave in to this conspiracy. Gopal repeatedly rebuked Raja Krishnachandra when he was partnering with [[Mir Jafar]], [[Ghaseti Begum]] and others to remove the then [[Nawab]] of Bengal ([[Siraj ud-Daulah]]). On the contrary, he was ridiculed by the king and his courtiers. [[Raja Krishnachandra]] said that he would refrain from this plan only if he could go in front of the Nawab and cut his forehead.

			Even at the risk of his own life, Gopal went to Murshidabad for Krishnachandra. When he was not allowed to enter in front of the Nawab, he was bitten by a guard. Then when he was brought before the Nawab of Justice, Gopal really broke the [[Nawab]]. The Nawab informed that Gopal would be tried the next day.

			Meanwhile, Gopal informed [[Mir Jafar]] that he had come to the [[Nawab]] to expose all the conspiracies. But since his breadwinner [[Raja Krishnachandra]] would also be trapped, he did not divulge it. Then at the instigation of [[Mir Jafar]] [[Nawab]] ordered the execution of Gopal. But there is no trace of Gopal in it. On the contrary, he broke the Nawab once again.
			The Nawab thinks that Gopal is insane. So the Nawab released him. Returning to Krishnanagar, Gopal once again tried to convince the king. But the king did not listen to him. In 1757 the humiliated Gopal left the country (Krishnanagar) without anyone noticing. Then no trace of him was found.

	==Stories==		==Stories==
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	==Authenticity==		==Authenticity==
	In early nineteenth century, Gopal Bhar's name was first mentioned in Bengali literature. It is often said that Gopal Bhar is a legendary personality. But a reference has found that there was a respectful and old bodyguard of the king of Nadia, [[Raja Krishnachandra]] and Protection incharge of the city named [[Shankar Taranga]] who was given special status by the king for his courage and knowledge and probably gave rise to the legend of Gopal Bhar. There are many contradictory views regarding Gopal Bhar, whether he existed or not. [[Sukumar Sen (linguist)\|Acharya Sukumar Sen]] opined that the character Gopal is purely fictitious. But some sources claim that Gopal was a true character.		In early nineteenth century, Gopal Bhar's name was first mentioned in Bengali literature. It is often said that Gopal Bhar is a legendary personality. But a reference has found that there was a respectful and old bodyguard of the king of Nadia, [[Raja Krishnachandra]] and Protection incharge of the city named Shankar Taranga who was given special status by the king for his courage and knowledge and probably gave rise to the legend of Gopal Bhar. There are many contradictory views regarding Gopal Bhar, whether he existed or not. [[Sukumar Sen (linguist)\|Acharya Sukumar Sen]] opined that the character Gopal is purely fictitious. But some sources claim that Gopal was a true character.



	==In popular culture==		==In popular culture==
	* ''Gopal Bhar'', a Bengali comedy film directed by Amal Sur was released in 1980. In that film, [[Santosh Dutta]] portrayed the character of Gopal Bhar in the court of Raja [[Krishnachandra Roy]].<ref>{{cite news \|title=Baba never got his due: Santosh Dutta \|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/Baba-never-got-his-due-Santosh-Dutta/articleshow/7139765.cms \|access-date=5 May 2019 \|work=The Times of India \|language=en}}</ref>		* ''Gopal Bhar'', a Bengali comedy film directed by Amal Sur was released in 1980. In that film, [[Santosh Dutta]] portrayed the character of Gopal Bhar in the court of Raja [[Krishnachandra Roy]].<ref>{{cite news \|title=Baba never got his due: Santosh Dutta \|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/Baba-never-got-his-due-Santosh-Dutta/articleshow/7139765.cms \|access-date=5 May 2019 \|work=The Times of India \|language=en}}</ref>
	*A television series was aired in late 90s on Doordarshan channel in Sunday afternoon slot where [[Rabi Ghosh]] was initially cast in the title role and after his demise, the role went to [[Bibhu Bhattacharjee]] .
	*An animated cartoon series with the same title was released in the 2000s which were and are regularly aired on [[Sony Aath]].
	* ''Gopal Bhar'', a Bengali television series was made where Raktim Samanta played the role of Gopal Bhar as a young child. The series aired on Star Jalsha from 2017 to 2018.<ref>{{cite news \|title=Raktim Samanta gets nostalgic as ‘Gopal Bhar’ comes to an end \|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/bengali/raktim-samanta-gets-nostalgic-as-gopal-bhar-comes-to-an-end/articleshow/65473543.cms \|access-date=5 May 2019 \|work=The Times of India \|language=en}}</ref>		* ''Gopal Bhar'', a Bengali television series was made where Raktim Samanta played the role of Gopal Bhar as a young child. The series aired on Star Jalsha from 2017 to 2018.<ref>{{cite news \|title=Raktim Samanta gets nostalgic as ‘Gopal Bhar’ comes to an end \|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/bengali/raktim-samanta-gets-nostalgic-as-gopal-bhar-comes-to-an-end/articleshow/65473543.cms \|access-date=5 May 2019 \|work=The Times of India \|language=en}}</ref>

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	{{Humor and wit characters}}		{{Humor and wit characters}}

	[[Category:~~History of Bengal~~]]		[[Category:18th-century Indian people]]
	[[Category:Jesters]]		[[Category:Jesters]]
	[[Category:Humour and wit characters of India]]		[[Category:Humour and wit characters of India]]
	[[Category:~~Fictional~~ Bengali Hindus]]		[[Category:Bengali Hindus]]

imported>Graeme Bartlett: /* In popular culture */ initiallynitially fix

2021-07-26T02:03:07Z

In popular culture: initiallynitially fix

New page

{{short description|Court jester in 18th-century Bengal}}
{{Infobox royalty
| image = Statue of Gopal Bhar 02.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Statue of Gopal Bhar at Krishnanagar, Nadia
| birth_name = Gopal Chandra Pramanik
| birth_date =
| birth_place = [[Ghurni]], [[Nadia Raj]] (present-day [[Krishnanagar, Nadia]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]])
| death_date =
| death_place = [[Krishnanagar, Nadia|Krishnanagar]], [[Nadia Raj]] (present-day [[West Bengal]], [[India]])
| occupation = [[Courtier]] and [[jester]] in the court of [[Raja Krishnachandra]]
}}
'''Gopal Bhar''' or '''Gopal [[Bhand]]''' ({{lang-bn|গোপাল ভাঁড়}} {{IPA-bn|ˈgopal bʱãˑɽ|}}) was a court [[jester]] in medieval [[Bengal]]. He was in the court of [[Raja Krishnachandra]] (1710–1783), the then-king of [[Nadia District|Nadia]] in the 18th century.<ref>Siegel, Lee (1987). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=d1qZhZz5RuEC Laughing Matters: Comic Tradition in India]''. University of Chicago Press, United States. {{ISBN|0-226-75691-2}}. pp. 314-318.</ref> Gopal used to give joy to others by laughter and ridicule. The king considered Gopal as a [[Navaratnas|Navaratna]] of his court. His statue can still be seen in the palace of [[Raja Krishnachandra|Krishnachandra]] and in [[Ghurni]], Krishnagar town. Gopal is believed to have possessed a keen intelligence.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/legendary-jester-gopal-bhar-to-be-poll-mascot-in-nadia/1/619785.html|title=Legendary jester Gopal Bhar to be poll mascot in Nadia|date=March 14, 2016|website=Indiatoday.in|access-date=February 16, 2017}}</ref>

== Life ==
Gopal, born in a low-caste family, was precocious since childhood. His father died when Gopal was young, and his mother was murdered via [[Sati-daha]]. His older brother was forced into slavery and he was abducted by a robber gang. Eventually a lady raised him, and in adulthood Gopal became a presence in the royal court of Krishnanagar. Gopal left krishnanagar in 1757. And there is a cartoon made based on this real life story

==Stories==
Tales of his exploits are narrated in [[West Bengal]] and [[Bangladesh]] to this day in numerous short stories. Their origin may be traced to local oral cultures of humour. The stories are popular and humorous, often ridiculing figures of authority, including the king, Krishnachandra, himself. Many of his stories depict him coming up with inventive and clever answers to satisfy the whimsical requests of royal personages, such as the Maharaja and the Rani. In some stories, Raja Krishnachandra asks him to complete certain tasks specifically to test his intelligence, or to embarrass him in public. Gopal Bhar always rebuffs the attempt successfully. The application of humour never crosses over to the realm of direct disrespect, but manages to point out the weakness in the opponent's argument or conviction. As such, his stories are comparable with those of [[Birbal]], [[Tenali Raman]], [[Gonu Jha]] and [[Nasreddin]].

==Authenticity==
In early nineteenth century, Gopal Bhar's name was first mentioned in Bengali literature. It is often said that Gopal Bhar is a legendary personality. But a reference has found that there was a respectful and old bodyguard of the king of Nadia, [[Raja Krishnachandra]] and Protection incharge of the city named [[Shankar Taranga]] who was given special status by the king for his courage and knowledge and probably gave rise to the legend of Gopal Bhar. There are many contradictory views regarding Gopal Bhar, whether he existed or not. [[Sukumar Sen (linguist)|Acharya Sukumar Sen]] opined that the character Gopal is purely fictitious. But some sources claim that Gopal was a true character.

==In popular culture==
* ''Gopal Bhar'', a Bengali comedy film directed by Amal Sur was released in 1980. In that film, [[Santosh Dutta]] portrayed the character of Gopal Bhar in the court of Raja [[Krishnachandra Roy]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Baba never got his due: Santosh Dutta |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/Baba-never-got-his-due-Santosh-Dutta/articleshow/7139765.cms |access-date=5 May 2019 |work=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref>
*A television series was aired in late 90s on Doordarshan channel in Sunday afternoon slot where [[Rabi Ghosh]] was initially cast in the title role and after his demise, the role went to [[Bibhu Bhattacharjee]] .
*An animated cartoon series with the same title was released in the 2000s which were and are regularly aired on [[Sony Aath]].
* ''Gopal Bhar'', a Bengali television series was made where Raktim Samanta played the role of Gopal Bhar as a young child. The series aired on Star Jalsha from 2017 to 2018.<ref>{{cite news |title=Raktim Samanta gets nostalgic as ‘Gopal Bhar’ comes to an end |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/bengali/raktim-samanta-gets-nostalgic-as-gopal-bhar-comes-to-an-end/articleshow/65473543.cms |access-date=5 May 2019 |work=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Gonu Jha]]
* [[Tenaliram]]
* [[Birbal]]
* [[Nasreddin]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|author=Dutta, Swapna|year= 2004|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FxPQLR1Vx4YC|title=Tales of Gopal the Jester|ISBN=81-7806-059-0}}
* {{cite book|author=Sinha, Seema|year=2005|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kecoyqyg5wMC|title=Gopal Bhand|ISBN=81-7011-975-8}}

{{Humor and wit characters}}

[[Category:History of Bengal]]
[[Category:Jesters]]
[[Category:Humour and wit characters of India]]
[[Category:Fictional Bengali Hindus]]