Kanchi Abhiyan Patta Tussar Painting

This pattachitra tells the tale of how Gajapati Maharaja Purusottam Dev, a devoted follower and servant of Lord Jagannath, charms the Kanchi king upon arriving in Kanchi during his southern trip. The king accepts the proposal of marriage after he falls in love with Padmavati, the princess of Kanchi but rejected by the King of Kanchi as he was a janitor to Lord Jagannath.

After winning the battle at Kanchi, they went ahead of King Purusottam Dev’s army. Lord Jagannath, also known as Shyamal, which means the dark one, on a white horse, while his elder brother, Balabhadra, who had fair skin, mounted a black horse. They were frantically looking for something to soothe their parched throats as the heat was beating down on them. Luckily for them, a woman was seen offering buttermilk for sale. They gulped down MANIKA Gauduni’s buttermilk with great anticipation, only realizing they had no money on them when she wanted it. Giving her a ring, Balabhadra instructed her to present it to the King, who was about to arrive with his army, and request payment from him. And there she stood, bewildered by the brilliant ring, impatiently awaiting the King and his army to advance through.

The cowherd woman told King Purusottamdev the whole story of how two soldiers drank buttermilk and gave the pricey ring to the monarch rather than the meager sum. The king understood that the Lord and His brother were, in fact, assisting him in his battle, just as they had promised in his dream.