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{{short description|Novel by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay}}
{{For|the Indian television series|Durgesh Nandinii}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2025}}
{{infobox book | 
| name = Durgeshnandini
| title_orig = দুর্গেশনন্দিনী
| translator =
| image =
| caption =
| author = [[Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay]]
| illustrator =
| cover_artist =
| country = [[British India|India]]
| language = [[Bengali language|Bengali]]
| series =
| genre = [[Novel]]
| publisher =
| release_date = 1865
| english_release_date =
| media_type = Print
| pages =
| isbn =
| oclc=
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
}}
'''''Durgeshnandini''''' ({{langx|bn|দুর্গেশনন্দিনী|4=Daughter of the Feudal Lord}}<ref name = sukumarseneng/>) is a [[Bengali language|Bengali]] [[Historical fiction|historical]] [[Romance novel|romance]] [[novel]] written by [[British India|Indian]] writer [[Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay]] in 1865.<ref name=asit>{{cite book |last1= Bandyopadhyay|first1= Asit Kumar |title= Bangla Sahityer Itibritta|trans-title=History of Bengali Literature |edition= 3rd |volume=VIII |year=2007 |orig-year= 1998 |publisher= Modern Book Agency Pvt Ltd |location=Kolkata |language=bn |pages=493–502 }}</ref> ''Durgeshnandini'' is a story of the love triangle between Jagat Singh, a [[Mughal Empire]] general, Tilottama, the daughter of a [[Bengali people|Bengali]] feudal lord and Ayesha, the daughter of a rebel [[Pathan]] leader against whom Jagat Singh was fighting. The story is set against the backdrop of [[Pathan]]-[[Mughal (tribe)|Mughal]] conflicts that took place in south-western region of modern-day Indian state of Paschimbanga ([[West Bengal]]) during the reign of [[Akbar]].<ref name=asit/>

''Durgeshnandini'' is the first Bengali novel written by Bankim Chandra as well as the first major Bengali novel in the history of Bengali literature.<ref name=asit/> The story of the novel was borrowed from some local legends of [[Arambag subdivision|Arambag]] region, [[Hooghly district]], Paschimbanga, collected by Bankim Chandra’s great-uncle.<ref name=sansad>{{cite book |editor1-last=Bagal |editor1-link=Jogeshchandra |title=Bankim Rachanavali |trans-title= Complete Works of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay |edition= 20th |volume=I |year= 2003|orig-year=1953 |publisher=Sahitya Sansad |location= Kolkata|language=bn |isbn= 81-85626-13-8 |pages=XXX-XXXII |trans-chapter=On Novels |chapter= Upanyas-Prasange }}</ref> Although the conservative critics mocked the lucidity of Bankim Chandra’s language, ''Durgeshnandini'' was highly praised by most of the contemporary scholars and newspapers.<ref name=sansad/>

== Synopsis ==
The story is set in the backdrop of [[Pathan]]-[[Mughal (tribe)|Mughal]] conflicts that took place in south-western region of modern-day Indian state of Paschimbanga ([[West Bengal]]) during the reign of [[Akbar]]. Jagat Singh, a General of [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] army and son of Raja [[Man Singh I|Man Singh]] meets Tilottama, daughter of Birendra Singha, a feudal lord of south-western [[Bengal]] in [[Mandaran]] (in modern-day [[Hooghly district]], [[West Bengal]]) and they fall in love with each other. While they are preparing for a marriage ceremony, Katlu Khan, a rebel [[Pathan]] leader attacks Mandaran. Birendra Singha dies in the battle and Jagat Singh is imprisoned along with Birendra’s widow Bimala and their daughter Tilottama. Katlu Khan’s daughter Ayesha saves Tilottama from her father’s lust, but Ayesha herself falls in love with Jagat Singh. Later, Bimala avenges her husband’s death by stabbing Katlu Khan. In the meantime, Man Singh signs a pact with the Pathans and they set Jagat Singh free. But Ayesha’s lover Osman challenges Jagat Singh in a duel which Jagat Singh wins. Realising that Jagat Singh who is a Hindu prince would never marry a Muslim woman, Ayesha gives up hope for him, but she eventually helps Tilottama marry Jagat Singh.

== Sources ==
[[Sukumar Sen (linguist)|Sukumar Sen]] commented, "[[Bhudev Mukhopadhyay|Bhudev Mukharji]]’s ''Anguriyabinimay'' supplied the nucleus of the plot [of ''Durgeshnandini''] which was modelled somewhat after [[Walter Scott|Scott]]’s ''[[Ivanhoe]]''."<ref name = sukumarseneng>{{cite book |last1=Sen |first1=Sukumar |title= History of Bengali |edition=3rd |year= 1979 |orig-year=1960 |publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]] |location= [[New Delhi]] |isbn= 81-7201-107-5|pages=211–12 }}</ref>

Although, Bankim Chandra’s younger brother Purna Chandra Chattopadhyay stated that their great-uncle told Bankim Chandra of a popular legend of Mandaran which he collected from [[Bishnupur, Bankura|Bishnupur]]-[[Arambag]] region. According to the legend, the Pathans attacked the fort of the local feudal lord and took him and his wife and daughter to Orissa as prisoners and when Jagat Singh was sent to rescue them, he was also imprisoned. Bankim Chandra heard the story when he was 19 years old and after a few years he wrote ''Durgeshnandini''.<ref name=sansad/>

Bankim Chandra himself dismissed any presumption of whether his novel was influenced by ''[[Ivanhoe]]'', stating he never read Scott’s romance before writing ''Durgeshnandini''.<ref name=sansad/> [[Asitkumar Bandyopadhyay]] also wrote that apart from the love-triangle between Jagat Singh, Ayesha and Tilottama which closely resembles that of Ivanhoe, Rebecca and Rowena in ''Ivanhoe'', there is not much similarity between the two novels.<ref name=asit/> He thus concluded that ''Durgeshnandini'' is Bankim Chandra’s original work.<ref name=asit/>

==Date and text==
13 editions of the novel were published during the lifetime of Bankim Chandra, the last being in 1893.<ref name=sansad/> It was translated into English (1882), [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] (1876), [[Hindi language|Hindi]] (1882) and [[Kannada language|Kannada]] (1885).<ref name=sansad/> It was first adopted for stage in 1873.<ref name=sansad/>

==Reception==
''Durgeshnandini'' received mixed response from contemporary critics. While the [[Sanskrit]] scholars of [[Bhatpara]] appreciated the novel, scholars of [[Calcutta]] did not.<ref name=sansad/> Dwarakanath Vidyabhushan, the editor of ''Somprakash'' mocked Bankim Chandra’s lucid language and unconventional style; although ''[[Sambad Prabhakar]]'' and some other contemporary newspapers highly praised the novel.<ref name=sansad/>

Sukumar Sen wrote, "…the tale was something that was wholly new and entirely delightful. The pseudo-historical background was a justification for a pure love romance intended for readers who knew only married love."<ref name = sukumarseneng/>

==In adaptation==

=== Films ===

;Bengali
*1927: ''Durgesh Nandini'', starring Durgadas Bannerjee, [[Kanu Banerjee|Kanu Bannerjee]], [[Ahindra Choudhury]], Indira Devi, [[Seeta Devi (actress)|Sita Devi]], directed by Priyanath N. Ganguly.<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q58434973|title=Durgesh Nandini}}</ref>
*1951: ''Durgesh Nandini'', starring [[Monoranjan Bhattacharya|Manoranjan Bhattacharya]], [[Chhabi Biswas]], Bharati Devi, [[Chandrabati Devi]], [[Kamal Mitra]], directed by [[Amar Mullick]].<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q123537203|title=Durgesh Nandini}}</ref>

;Hindi
*1956: ''Durgesh Nandini'', starring [[Pradeep Kumar (actor)|Pradeep Kumar]], [[Bina Rai]], [[Ajit Khan|Ajit]], [[Nalini Jaywant]] directed by B. Mitra.<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q123537199|title=Durgesh Nandini}}</ref>

=== Television ===

* 2007: [[Durgesh Nandinii]], starring [[Rinku Ghosh]] and [[Gurpreet Singh (actor)|Gurpreet Singh]], aired on [[Sony TV (India)|Sony TV]]. Only the title is borrowed with a different story.

=== Other ===
*It was adapted as a comic by Debrani Mitra in the [[List of Amar Chitra Katha comics|824th issue]] of the Indian comic book series, [[Amar Chitra Katha]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Debrani Mitra|author2=Meera Ugra|title=Durgesh Nandini|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qbpJDgAAQBAJ&pg=PP1|date=1 April 1971|publisher=Amar Chitra Katha Pvt Ltd|isbn=978-81-8482-568-8}}</ref>
*On 11 June 2023, [[Radio Mirchi]] Kolkata station aired the novel in the ''Sunday Suspense'' programme. The novel was narrated and Directed by RJ Deep. Other RJs like Shankari Prasad Mitra, Debasmita, Godhuli, Debi, Pushpal, Somak, Rajiv Chatterjee, Mohor, etc. played some key roles.<ref>{{cite AV media |people= RJ Deep (Director) |date=11 June 2023 |title= Durgeshnandini - The Complete Saga |type= |language=bn |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4q6dxEJves |format=Audio |time= |location=Kolkata |publisher=[[Radio Mirchi]] Kolkata}}</ref>

== References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* {{Internet Archive|id=Durgeshnandini}}
* {{Google books|id=PobpAgAAQBAJ}} (English translation)

{{Novels by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1865 novels]]
[[Category:Novels by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay]]
[[Category:Indian historical novels]]
[[Category:Indian novels adapted into films]]
[[Category:Indian historical novels in Bengali]]
[[Category:Indian Bengali-language novels]]
[[Category:Indian novels adapted into television shows]]
[[Category:Novels adapted into comics]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian novels]]
[[Category:Bengali-language novels]]

Durgeshnandini - Revision history

Aspjack at 12:44, 14 February 2026