Cilika: A Romantic Poetic Art (HB) | Author – Dr. Kshirod Chandra Dash | Publisher – MLBD Publications

The Cilikā kāvya is composed by Kavivara Rādhānātha Ray (1848-1908 A.D), the father of modern Odia poetry. It is unique in the history of Odia literature as it reflects the cultural, political, and aesthetic heritage of the Odishan landscape. Here the soul of nature is unified with the poet along with the intense experience of poetic joy. The poem celebrates the captivating beauty of the lake Cilikā in a novel way that brings together the romantic traditions of the East and the West. Though the poem is Wordsworthian in its theme, the spirit and images inherit the influence of Vālmīki, Kālidāsa and Jayadeva.