Marathi Poetry - 19th Century Poetry

19th Century Poetry

The early 19th century Marathi poetry consisted of “powada” (पोवाडे: ballads), “phataka” (फटके), and "lawani” ("लावण्या), which were composed by “tantakawi” (तंतकवि) or “shahir” (शाहीर). Prominent among those poets were Parasharam (परशराम), Honaji Bal (होनाजी बाळ), Anantaphandi (अनंतफंदी), Ram Joshi (रामजोशी), and Prabhakar (प्रभाकर).

By the time the second half of the 19th century commenced, the rule of British East India Company had been firmly established in India, and the consequent study of English and English literature by the elite of Indian society produced in the mid-19th century Marathi composers like Krushnashastri Chipalunkar (कृष्णशास्त्री चिपळूणकर), Kunte (कुंटे), Lembhe (लेंभे), and Mogare (मोगरे) whose Marathi poetry showed influences of both Sanskrit and English poetry.

In the fourth quarter of the 19th century, inspired by the poetry of English poets like Wordsworth and Tennyson, poets Keshavasuta (केशवसुत) (1866-1905) and Rev. Tilak (रेव्हरंड टिळक) (1862 - ?) extended the horizon of Marathi poetry to encompass beauty in nature, love, romance, and mysticism as the subjects of their poetry.