Yogmaya, a novel by Neelam Karki Niharika, has got this year’s Madan Puraskar, which is considered to be one of the most prestigious literary awards in Nepal.

Kairan by Dhrubasatya Pariyar, Nathiya by Saraswati Pratikshya, Paathshala by Tirtha Gurung, Bhuinya by Yangesh, Yaar by Nayanraj Pandey, Limbuni Gaun by Raj Manglak, and Himali Darshan by Mohan Baidya ‘Kiran’ were also shortlisted for the award from among the 253 entries.

The Madan Puraskar Guthi officially announced Karki as the winner on Monday. Yogmaya is based on the life of female protagonist Yogmaya Neupane (1860-1941), a religious leader and women rights activists born in Bhojpur, who fought against the autocratic Rana regime. Madan Puraskar was established by Jagadamba Kumari Devi in memory of her late husband Gen Madan SJB Rana on September 26, 1955. Each year, the Guthi presents the award to one outstanding book along with a purse of Rs200,000.

Previous recipients of the award include noted literary figures Satyamohan Joshi, Parijat, and Sarubhakta. Poet Ghanashyam Kandel won the award last year for his epic Dhritarastra, a reimagining of the Mahabharata, retelling the epic from the blind king’s perspective.