| Honorific Prefix: | Janakavi Keshari |
| Dharmaraj Thapa | |
| Native Name: | जनकवि केशरी धर्मराज थापा |
| Native Name Lang: | Nepali |
| Birth Date: | 15July 1924 Batulechour-16, Pokhara, Nepal |
| Death Date: | 14 October 2014 |
| Origin: | Pokhara, Nepal |
| Genre: | Nepali Original Folk |
| Occupation: | Vocalist, poet |
Janakavi Keshari Dharmaraj Thapa (जनकवि केशरी धर्मराज थापा) (1924 - 14 October 2014)[1] was one of the most significant Nepali folk singers. He is most famous for his songs "Hariyo Danda Maathi (हरियो डाँडा माथि हह माले हह)", "Nepali le Maya Maaryo Barilai (नेपालीले माया मार्यो वरिलै)". Dharmaraj Thapa started singing hyms, folk songs including dancing acts from his early childhood. He was married to 13yrs old Shavitri at the age of 15 on 28th Baisakh, 1996 B.S.[2] He is also honoured as lifetime member at the Nepal Academy.[3]
Some of the notable songs collected and sung by Dharmaraj Thapa are[4]
Dharmaraj wrote the following books:
Including the title "Janakabi Keshari", Dharmaraj Thapa has been awarded with several prestigious awards.
| Year | Title | Awarded By | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 B.S. | Indrarajyalaxmi Purashkar | Nepal Rajakiya Pragya Pratisthan | |
| 2025 B.S. | Madan Purashkar | Madan Purashkar Guthi | Awarded for his GitiKavya 'Mangali Kusum' (मंगली कुसुम) |
| 2026 B.S. | Nominated for Committee Member (सह सदस्य) | Nepal Academy (former Royal Nepal Academy) | |
| 2042 B.S | Lok Sahitya Purashkar | Sajha Prakashan | |
| 2048 B.S. | Chinnalata Geet Purashkar | Chinnalata Geet Purashkar Guthi | |
| 2054 B.S. | Life Time Achievement Award | Hits FM | Annual Hits FM 100 Music Awards 2054 |
| - | Life Time Achievement Award | Kantipur FM | |
| - | Life Time Achievement Award | Image FM | Annual Image Award |
| - | SAARC Poetry Symposium | The Silver Jubilee of His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev's Accession Civic Main Committee | |
| 2057 B.S. | Nepal Samman | Nepal Sanskritik Parishad | |
| 2060 B.S. | Harati Samman | - | |
| 2061 B.S. | Nepal Lok Sangeetbhushan | Kalanidhi Indira Sangeet Mahavidhyalaya | |
| 2061/03/29 B.S. | Aadikavi Bhanubhakta Purashkar | Nepali Sikchya Parishad | |
| 2061/03/30 B.S. | Nagarik Samman 2062 | Nepal Yuwa Samaj | (need to verify the title and date) |
| 2062/06/13 B.S. | Sangeet Sheela Samman 2062 | संगीत शिला प्रतिष्ठान नृत्य तथा संगीत विद्यालय | |
| 2063 B.S. | Raajdhani Bisista Samman | Raajdhani Kala Kendra |