# Alaol > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Alaol > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Alaol.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaol > Source revision: 1355233022 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|Bengali poet (1607–1680)}} {{Infobox person | name = '''Syed Alaol''' | image = | caption = | native_name = সৈয়দ আলাওল | native_name_lang = bn | birth_date = {{birth year|1607}} | birth_place = ''Jalalpur Village'', [Fatehabad](/source/Padma_Division), [Bengal Subah](/source/Bengal_Subah), [Mughal Empire](/source/Mughal_Empire)
''(now [Madaripur District](/source/Madaripur_District), [Bangladesh](/source/Bangladesh))'' | death_date = {{death year and age|1680|1607}} | death_place = ''Court of Majlis Navaraj'', [Kingdom of Mrauk U](/source/Kingdom_of_Mrauk_U)
''(now [Rakhine State](/source/Rakhine_State), [Myanmar](/source/Myanmar))'' | occupation = [Poet](/source/Poet) | notable_works = * ''[Padmavati](/source/Padmavati_(poem))'' * ''Satimayna Lorchandrani'' * ''Saptapaykar'' * ''Saifulmuluk Badiuzzamal'' * ''Sikandarnama'' * ''Tohfa'' * ''Ragtalnama'' | known_for = Reviving Persian romantic epics in [Bengali literature](/source/Bengali_literature) }} '''Syed Alaol''' ({{langx|bn|সৈয়দ আলাওল}}; 1607–1680) was a [Bengali](/source/Bengalis) poet of the 17th century.{{cite book |editor-last=Datta |editor-first=Amaresh |year=1987 |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: A-Devo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ObFCT5_taSgC&pg=PA128 |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |page=128 |isbn=978-81-260-1803-1}} He is referred to as a "bard of Middle Bengali literature,{{cite web | url=https://scroll.in/article/1006362/the-history-of-the-rohingyas-that-myanmar-refuses-to-acknowledge | title=The long history of the Rohingyas that Myanmar refuses to acknowledge | date=29 September 2021 }} and is regarded as one the greatest poets of medieval Bengal.{{cite web |title=Alaol |last=Ahmed |first=Wakil |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Alaol |website=Banglapedia |publisher=Asiatic Society of Bangladesh}} His most famous work, ''[Padmavati](/source/Padmavati_(poem)),'' recounts the story of [Padmavati](/source/Rani_Padmini), a princess from [Ceylon](/source/Ceylon) (present-day [Sri Lanka](/source/Sri_Lanka)). Because his poetry often blended emotion with intellectualism, he earned the title ''Pandit Kabi'' (Scholar of Poets). In his honor, a major [Bangladeshi](/source/Bangladeshi) literary award—the [Alaol Sahitya Puroshkar](/source/Alaol_Sahitya_Puroshkar) is named after him.{{cite news |title='Wise Poet' of medieval Bengali literature: Alaol |url=https://dailyasianage.com/news/200595/wise-poet-of-medieval-bengali-literature-alaol |access-date=15 May 2025 |agency=AA Correspondent |issue=15 October 2019}} ==Life== He was probably born in 1607 in the village of Jalalpur in [Fatwabad Pargana](/source/Madaripur_District), [Fatehabad](/source/Faridpur_Division),{{cite book |editor-last1=Rizvi |editor-first1=S.N.H. |year=1965 |title=East Pakistan District Gazetteers: Chittagong |url=http://dl.nlb.gov.bd/greenstone/collect/admin-books/index/assoc/HASHe169/d1b0804f.dir/EAST%20PAKISTAN%20DISTRICT%20GAZETTEER%20CHITTAGONG%20-%20page%201.pdf |publisher=Government of East Pakistan Services and General Administration Department |page=349 |access-date=7 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107155623/http://dl.nlb.gov.bd/greenstone/collect/admin-books/index/assoc/HASHe169/d1b0804f.dir/EAST%20PAKISTAN%20DISTRICT%20GAZETTEER%20CHITTAGONG%20-%20page%201.pdf |archive-date=7 November 2016 |url-status=dead }} to a minister in the court of Majlis Qutb, the ruler of Fatehabad.{{cite web |url=http://kaladanpress.org/index.php/seminar-and-event-mainmenu-38/58-arakan-historical-seminar/728-alaols-poetry-as-a-source-for-arakanese-history.html |title=Alaol's poetry as a source for Arakanese history |author=Thibaut D' Hubert |date=15 July 2007 |publisher=Kaladan Press Network |access-date=2019-05-14 |archive-date=2019-05-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514191741/http://kaladanpress.org/index.php/seminar-and-event-mainmenu-38/58-arakan-historical-seminar/728-alaols-poetry-as-a-source-for-arakanese-history.html |url-status=dead }}Sen, Sukumar (1993). ''Islami Bangla Sahitya'' (in Bengali), Kolkata: Ananda Publishers, {{ISBN|81-7215-301-5}}, pp.34-6 He learned [Bengali](/source/Bengali_language), [Arabic](/source/Arabic_language), [Persian](/source/Farsi), and [Sanskrit language](/source/Sanskrit_language)s. Alaol was kidnapped by [Portuguese pirates](/source/Portuguese_settlement_in_Chittagong) while travelling on a boat with his father and was subsequently taken to [Arakan](/source/Rakhine_State). Alaol worked as a bodyguard for a while, but his reputation as a poet slowly spread. His talent was first recognised by Magan Thakur, prime minister of King [Sanda Thudhamma](/source/Sanda_Thudhamma) of the [Mrauk-U](/source/Kingdom_of_Mrauk_U) dynasty of Arakan. He was also patronised by other elders of the court such as chief minister Sulayman, royal minister Syed Musa, army commander Muhammad Khan, and tax minister Majlis Nabaraj.{{Citation needed|date=May 2026}} In 1659, he completed ''Sati Mayna O Lorchandrani'', the first part of which was completed earlier by another Bengali court poet of Arakan, [Daulat Qazi](/source/Daulat_Qazi). He translated ''Tohfa'' at the request of Shrichandra Sudharma or Sanda Thudhamma. Later, Prince Magan Thakur, the foster son of the sister of King Shrichandra Sudharma and co-regent and the prime minister of Arakan, secured him a place in the court of Arakan.{{Citation needed|date=May 2026}} His major work, ''[Padmavati](/source/Padmavati_(poem))'', based on [Malik Muhammad Jayasi](/source/Malik_Muhammad_Jayasi)'s ''[Padmavat](/source/Padmavat),'' was written under the patronage of Magan Thakur. He also began writing the ''Saifulmuluk Badiuzzamal'', an adaptation of a [Persian](/source/Persian_language) work of the same name during this period. There is a famous poem [Prince Saiful Malook and Badri Jamala](/source/Prince_Saiful_Malook_and_Badri_Jamala) of the mystic poet of Punjabi literature [Mian Muhammad Bakhsh](/source/Mian_Muhammad_Bakhsh). After the death of Magan Thakur, he received patronage from Saiyad Muhammad Musa, the army chief of King Shrichandra Sudharma. He translated the ''[Haft Peykar](/source/Haft_Peykar)'' from Persian as ''Saptapaykar'' in Bengali at his request. In the eulogy of Saptapaykar, Alaol mentioned the arrival of Mughal prince [Shah Shuja](/source/Shah_Shuja_(Mughal)) in Arakan. In 1659, Shah Shuja took refuge in the court at Arakan. In 1660, after the killing of Shah Shuja, Alaol was also thrown out of the Arakan court because of his closeness with him. According to autobiographical passages in his ''Sikandarnama'', he was initially imprisoned. At this juncture, Sayed Masud Shah, a minister or Qazi of the Arakan king sheltered him. Masud Shah also gave Alaol Khilafat under [Qadiriyya](/source/Qadiriyya) Tariqa. Alaol completed his ''Saifulmuluk Badiuzzamal'' at his request. He spent his final years at the court of Majlis Navaraj, another minister of Arakan, where he composed his last work—''Sikandarnama'' (according to [Ahmed Sharif](/source/Ahmed_Sharif)) or ''Dara-Sikandar'' (according to [Sukumar Sen](/source/Sukumar_Sen_(linguist)))—a Bengali translation of ''Eskander-nama'' by the Persian poet [Nizami Ganjavi](/source/Nizami_Ganjavi). His works, apart from ''Ragtalnama'', are adaptations of works in other languages which include: * ''[Padmavati](/source/Padmavati_(poem))'' (1648) * ''Satimayna Lorchandrani'' (completion of Daulat Qazi's work) (1659) * ''Saptapaykar'' (1665) * ''Saifulmuluk Badiuzzamal'' (1669) * ''Sikandarnama'' (1671–72) * ''Tohfa'' (1660) * ''Ragtalnama'' His poems draw upon his deep engagement with [Sufism](/source/Sufism).{{cite web|title=20th European Conference on Modern South Asian Studies, Manchester 2008|publisher=European Association of South Asian Studies|date=July 2008|author=Abu Musa Arif Billah|url=http://www.arts.manchester.ac.uk/ecmsas/panels/ecmsaspanel9to16/panelpdfs/Fileuploadmax10Mb,134379,en.pdf|access-date=2014-01-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923174227/http://www.arts.manchester.ac.uk/ecmsas/panels/ecmsaspanel9to16/panelpdfs/Fileuploadmax10Mb,134379,en.pdf|archive-date=2015-09-23|url-status=dead}}''Retrieved: 2014-01-21'' ==Legacy== An important Bangladeshi literary prize, the [Alaol Literary Puroshkar](/source/Alaol_Literary_Puroshkar), is named after him. Alaol Hall, a principal male student dormitory at the [University of Chittagong](/source/University_of_Chittagong) in Bangladesh, is named after him.{{cite web|title=Official Website|publisher=University of Chittagong|url=http://www.cu.ac.bd}} ''Retrieved: 2014-01-21'' ==References== {{reflist}} == Further reading == * d'Hubert, Thibault (2018). [https://books.google.com/books/about/In_the_Shade_of_the_Golden_Palace.html?id=QWlNDwAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description In the Shade of the Golden Palace: Alaol and Middle Bengali Poetics in Arakan]. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-19-086034-9}} ==External links== * {{Banglapedia}} * [https://data.cerl.org/thesaurus/cnp00569144 Ālāola] at the [Consortium of European Research Libraries](/source/Consortium_of_European_Research_Libraries) {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Alaol, Syed}} Category:1607 births Category:1680 deaths Category:Bengali male poets Category:Bengali-language poets Category:Bengali-language literature Category:17th-century Bengali poets Category:People from Madaripur District --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Alaol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaol) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaol?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.