The Importance of myth in Kanthapura
Name : Radha B. Ghevariya 
Std. : M.A. SEM- 1
Sub : 
Indian Writing In English 
Roll no : 22 
Topic : The Importance of myth in Kanthapura
Topic : The Importance of myth in Kanthapura
Submitted to : Smt. S. B. Gardi Department of English 
 Introduction
           Raja Rao was born on November 8,1908 in
Hassan in the state of  Mysore in South India, Raja Rao was a well-know
Brahmin family. His native language was kanarese, but his post-graduate
education was in France , and if all this publications in book from in English.
            
Raja Rao was concerned with the colonial language . in the foreword to
‘Kanthapura’ (19380)  published in London, if then he admitted the
difficulties are
“ A
language that is not one’s   Own the spirit that is one’s
own”
And
conveying, the various shades and omissions of Certain thought
movement that looks  Maltreated in an alien language”
               
RajaRao the novel  Kanthapura (1938) was an the impact of Gandhi’s teaching  on non-violent resistance against the
British  and then Raja Rao borrows the style and structure from
Indian  vernacular tales and folk epic.
            
     The novel Kanthapura in the character of the
young man Moorthy who comes back from the city Kanthapura , then
Rao   portrays an idealist and supporter of ahinsa and satayagraha ,
if also create  to cross the traditional barriers of caste , as then the old
women calls the ‘ university Graduate’ , and has given up his,
“Boots and hat and  suit and had taken
To dhoti and khadi , and it was said he
Had even given up his city habit of smoking”
            
Raja Rao died of heart failure on 
July 8,2006 . at his home in Austin , Texas . His famous work
# Kanthapura (1938)
#  Changing India(1939)
#  Whither India ( 1948)
#  The serpent and the rope ( 1960)
#  Summary
    
Raja Rao’s Kanthapura is one of the finest novels to come out of mid twentieth
century India. Raja Rao’s first  novel Kanthapura in 1938. It is the story
of a village in south India named Kanthapura and also it is the story of how
Gandhi’s struggle for independence from the British came to a typical village
Kanthapura the novel is narrated in the form of a ‘sthalapurana’ by an old
women of the village Achkka. Kanthapura is a traditional caste ridden Indian
village, which is away from all modern ways of living if their the village
Kanthapura then dominant castes like Brahmins are privileged to get the best
region of the village like sudras, pariahs are marginalized.
          
The novel Kanthapura in the main character of the novel Moorthy is a Brahmin
who, discovered a half baried linga from the village and installed it. And also
then the a temple is built there , which later became the centre point of the
village life.  The village Kanthapura then all ceremonies and festivals
are celebrated warren the temple.
           The
character of Jayaramchar as a harikathamen . harikathas  is a traditional
form of storytelling was practiced in village . Jayaramchar narrated a
harikathas based on Gandhi and his ideas. The novel Kanthapura its  begins
its course of action when Moorthy leaves for the city and he got familiar with
the Gandhian philosophy  through pamphlets and other literature. 
Moorthy is a discarded foreign untouchability .  and then the village and
all cast man against the foreign  government and Moorthy was
excommunicated and then the other character like bade khan was a police officer
a non Hindu of Kanthapura . bade khan is an enemy  of the  people who
refuses  to provide shelter to him. Moorthy continued his fight against
injustice and social inequality way of Gandhi after that at last Moorthy
release and arrest of the satayagraha  and atrocities against women added
miseries of the people . then in the last part of the novel it is mentioned
that  people of the village were settled in kashipura and Kanthapura was
occupied by people of Bombay.
# Myth
            Myth
is a imagination not a reality . myth is always comes from  past . it Raja
Rao also used the myth in framework . myth always related with ideal truth and
real world . the use of mythical technique means that the past is juxtaposed
with the present in this way the past may serve us criticism of the present or
it may be used to heighten and glorify the preset . according to Meenakshi
Mukhrjee,
“
Kanthapura is again another and a
Larger
attempt at creating a sthala
Purana
, that is a legendary tale of
A 
specific locality”
                      
Myth always tells individual story , early  history of people, social
background supernatural beings of events.
#  Importance of myth  Kanthapura
         
Myth is one type of particular device that introduce cultural background and
historical movement Kanthapura novel written by raja Rao . Raja Rao is using
the myth in Kanthapura. The importance of myth in Kanthapura is a microcosm of
the Indian society with division of people into castes, untouchability,
poverty  exploitation and  foreign ruler and ruthless tyranny at
their hands and then the division of the village into the Brahmin quarters the
potter quarters  and so on speak of the age long caste system  and
untouchability.
 
Raja Rao write,    
“
There is no village in India says Raja Rao , however mean that has not a rich
sthala  Purana or legendry history of its own some 
God or god like hero has passed by the village  Rama might have
rested under the papal  tree…..”
             The using  central myth
of Kanthapura is of ram-sita-ravana, which  is the used to illustrate the
fight between Mahatma Gandhi and the British and another use of myth Siva is
the three eyed god so is swaraj and parvati wooed   and won Siva
through penances , so does gandhi , Endeavour,  attain independence
through penances so does Gandhi Endeavour to attain independence through
ordeals the myth of Kanthapura is connected with the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
The independence is like sita sullied at the hands of ravana and Gandhi like
rama  strives to regain her .  Gandhi’s visit to England for the
round table  conference is like the  visit of ram to lanka
after  Ravana’s defeat if their Gandhi is rama and  Jawaharlal Nehru
is bharta. 
            
In this novel Kanthapura it is a small and beautiful village of people 
but who still belongs to the old world of superstition . Raja Rao use Indian
myth sensibility and tradition myth in the novel. Kanthapura shares certain
narrative technique with Purana. The story by a village grandmother  and
the style reflect oral heritage also  represent the harikathas. In the
village we see the one temple and  this temple is most important for
villagers. In this temple Jayaramchar narrate ‘ Harikathas’ and many
katha  related on Gandhian ideas. Raja Rao use  Indian sensibility,
tradition myth mysticism , religion , techniques in the novel. Raja Rao tells us
that as soon as Gandhi was born “ the four wide walls began to shine like the
kingdom of the sun, and hardly was he in the cradle than the began to lisp the
language of wisdom” the harikathas man Jayaramchar raises Gandhi to the level
of god by his activities with one particular feat of Krishna.
“
you remember how Krishna when he was  But a babe of four, had began
to fight against Demons and had killed the serpent kali,so  Too our
Mohandas began to fight, against  The enemies of the country”
Conclusion
      
Raja Rao has also  used the  myth and reality in the novel
‘Kanthapura’ through their  customs, attitudes , ritual and also through
their  belief about the religiosity.








