Somnath Sigdel (Nepali: सोमनाथ सिग्देल or Nepali: सोमनाथ सिग्द्याल; 1884–1972; also known as Somnath Sigdyal) was a Nepalese renowned scholar and author.
Biography
Somnath Sigdel was born on 5 October 1884 to Jagannath Sigdel in Nepal.[1] His father was a Pandit of Vyākaraṇa, Dharmaśāstra and Jyotisa.[2] He studied at Ranipokhari Sanskrit Pathashala in Kathmandu and later he moved to Banaras where he got a degree from Queens College Benares.[1] Sigdel also served as principal of Valmiki Sanskrit College in Kathmandu.[1] Later he was made a member of Nepal Academy.[1]
From 1906, he started to published poems in the magazine Sundari from Banaras.[3] In 1920, He published Madhya Chandrikā (lit. Middle grammar).[1] His Aadarsha Raghav (1948) is regarded as the modern Nepali version of Ramayana.[4] Sigdel's poems were written in the style of Motiram Bhatta.[5] His comic Digambar Bibaha is one of the earliest kind published in Nepal.[6]
He was given the title of Pandit Raj (Master Scholar) by King Mahendra.[1] Sigdel died in 1972.[1] In 1973, the Government of Nepal issued postage stamps featuring Sigdel.[7] He was awarded Tribhuvan Pragya Award for his contributions to language, literature, culture, and Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu.[8]
