Baniya’s Maharani Wins Madan Puraskar

Maharani, a novel by Chandra Prakash Baniya, wins year 2020’s Madan Puraskar, the most prestigious literary award in Nepal for literature. A press release issued by the award trust’s chair Kunda Dixit on Sunday named the book winner of the award for the year. Published by Shikha Publication, the book  is a modern rendering of a medieval myth that unzips several mysteries associated with the formation of ‘Maharani’ a human-coroneted deity worshipped around Parbat District of Nepal and regions around it. Published by Shikha Books in 2020, the book handles the story of rivalry between two siblings, Malebam and Bhadribam, who contend for the throne of Prabat, a kingdom that existed much before Nepal was united in its present form. The story basically features Queen Mother Vishwaprabha, who is elevated to the rank of a goddess, Maharani, because of her sacrifice in marital affairs, and support to the just, even by defaulting marital and relational expectations. The debate about the throne arises when they consider who should become the king: Malebam, who is elder in birth and younger in birth, or Bhadribam, who is conceive earlier and born later. Since Malebam, elder by birth is considered the true heir, his brother Bhadribam rebels but his wife, Vishwaprabha supports Malebam and becomes instrumental in exterminating Bhadribam. In recognition of her sacrifice, Malebam declares her ‘Rajmata’ or Queen Mother, while the public names her Maharani. But instead of taking any royal favor, she becomes a recluse and goes missing. Since that day, people in that part of the world have been worshipping her as Maharani. A gripping combination of history, myth and fiction, the novel is a serious inquiry into gender and power relations, and a chronicle of women’s great sacrifices in power history.