Over 100 litterateurs and poets from Gorkha, Lamjung, Tanahun, Kaski, Dhading and Kathmandu gathered in Chundi Ramgha of Tanahun, the birthplace of Adikabi Bhanubhakta Acharya, to celebrate the 197th birth anniversary of the Adikabi on Tuesday, state-owned news agency RSS reported.

According to Bhanu Birthplace Development Committee, Chundi, a poetry competition and recitation of poems in Bhanubhakta's style were held Monday.

Nabinraj Dahal, acting director of the committee, said a team of poets and litterateurs accompanied by a troupe of traditional instrument players left for Shikhar Kateri, the birthplace of Bhanubhakta, this morning.

Participants of the morning rally garlanded the half-size statue of Bhanubhakta.

A tributary meeting, speech and cultural procession based on the Ramayana penned by Bhanubhakta have been planned for the afternoon while there will be deepawali in the evening, according to chairman of the committee Sribhakta Acharya.

Meanwhile in Kathmandu, Modern Multiple College organized a poetry symposium to mark the 197th birth anniversary of Bhanubhakta.

At the programme, Yadav Bhattarai, Thakur Sharma, Rameshwor Matridas, Tulsi Prasad Bhattarai, Basanta Kumar Sharmma Nepal and Ram Prasad Dahal, among others, recited their poems.

Dahal,who is also the chairman of Dayitwa Literary Foundation, highlighted Bhanubhakta´s role in the development of Nepali language.

College principal Tulsi Prasad Bhattarai said the state has ignored literature and called the state to be serious to promote literature.