| Mrinalini | |
| Title Orig: | মৃণালিনী |
| Author: | Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay |
| Country: | India |
| Language: | Bengali |
| Genre: | Novel |
| Release Date: | 1869 |
| Media Type: | |
Mrinalini is a Bengali novel written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. The novel was first published in 1869.[1] This was Chatterjee's third novel, and he was 30 years old when the novel was first published.[2]
In the first decade of the 13th century, Bakhtiyar Khilji made a surprise attack on Nabadwip with only seventeen cavalry (versus eighteenth cavalry). King Lakshmana Sen was busy to eating and had no preparation for battle despite the foresight of the attack. The king fled to Vikrampur by boat with his family. The story of escape always tormented the literary emperor. He had a lot of faith in the bravery of Bengali's. He tried to reduce the tainted history of such surrender of Bengali's through his writing with the weapon of imagination. Mrinalini, Hemchandra, Pashupati, Manorama, Girijaya, Digvijay - all characters are fictional. Only Bakhtiyar Khilji Katrik's invasion and conquest of Navadwip is furnished with historical background. The rest of the characters and events are entirely fictional.
The story revolves around the prince of Magadha, Hemchandra and his lover Mrinalini, a middle-class girl from Mathura. When they both falls in love, Hemchandra becomes weak and forgets about his duties for his country. Yavana captured his kingdom but instead of fighting with Yavanas he was marrying secretly with Mrinalini.
To make Hemchandra realize about his duties, Madhvacharya, Hemchandra's teacher secretly sends Mrinalini to Rishikesh's house in the Gond Kingdom. What will happen when Hemchandra gets to know about Madhvacharya's conspiracy? Will he succeed in his mission? Is Madhvacharya a betrayer? What will happen when society gets know about Hemchandra and Mrinalini's marriage? Will society accept it?