Statue of Adikavi Bhanubhakta Acharya Installed in California

Kathmandu. A statue of Adikavi Bhanubhakta Acharya has been installed in California, USA. The statue was jointly unveiled by chief guest senior litterateur Dr. Navaraj Lamsal and Mayor of Richmond, Martinez on July 12 during a special ceremony.

The statue of Adikavi Bhanubhakta has been installed in the diaspora for the first time outside Nepal and India with the initiative of the International Nepali Literature Society Northern California Chapter. After the unveiling, Mayor Martinez said, 'This city has become culturally complete by installing the statue of the Adikavi of the Nepali language.'

The statue has been installed at the Nepali Community Center, Richmond, California. A poetry competition was held during the event. Everest climbers residing in and around Richmond were also honored. Chief guest Dr. Lamsal honored them by draping them with a shawl.

Bhanubhakta Acharya took Nepali literature to new heights by translating the Ramayana into simple and colloquial Nepali. His role in bringing religious and literary knowledge, which was limited to Sanskrit, within the reach of the common Nepali is considered historic. Therefore, he is honored as the Adikavi of the Nepali language.

Bhanubhakta's main identity is the epic Ramayana written by him. Although the world understands it as a religious text, the Ramayana is an epic. It is an आदि महाकाव्य of poetic value.

Chief guest Lamsal is also a modern epic poet. Four of his epic poems, Karna, Dhara, Agni, and Kalpa, have been published.