KOTRABAINA & RAMELA

This Folk tale related to Rama Katha from Gauda community of Kalahandi, Odisha

Kotrabaina was a farmer in a village who took care of sheep and cows and sold milk and curd. His wife, Ramela, was very beautiful and had a six-month-old baby. The king of the land was fond of beautiful women, so Kotrabaina didn't allow Ramela to go to Bendul City to sell milk or curd. He was afraid that if the king found out about Ramela's beauty, he might abduct her.

However, one day, when Kotrabaina was away visiting his sister, Ramela went to Bendul City to sell milk and curd, leaving her child with her sister-in-law. The king's soldiers saw her in the market place and took her to the palace of the King of Bendul by force. Kotrabaina had a dream about the abduction of Ramela by the king while he was sleeping at his sister's house. He immediately returned home and found out that his dream was true. He gathered a large number of bulls and sheep, including a magical bull named Kurmel Sandha and sheep named Ultia Gadra, and attacked Bendul City to rescue Ramela. The cattle and sheep destroyed the whole city, and Kotrabaina killed the king to free Ramela.

However, the Gauda community was not willing to accept Ramela without testing her chastity, as the evil king had abducted her. Ramela arranged an ordeal by fire to prove her purity, and she passed it successfully. But the community wanted to test her again and put forward the condition that if her six-month-old baby crawled from his bed to her breast to suck milk, she would be considered pure and accepted by them. Ramela passed this test as well and was accepted by the Gauda community.

The story has similarities with the Rama-katha from the abduction of Sita to her fire ordeal. Rama, Sita, and Rabana are portrayed as Kotrabaina, Ramela, and the king of Bendul, respectively. Lakshmana's warning to Sita not to cross the three lines is similar to Kotrabaina's warning to his wife not to visit Bendul. Rabana abducted Sita during Lakshmana's absence, and similarly, the absence of Kotrabaina gave Ramela the opportunity to visit Bendul City, where she was captured by the lustful king. Rama destroyed Lanka with a large army of monkeys and bears, and likewise, Kotrabaina took the help of bulls and sheep to destroy Bendul City and rescue Ramela. The magical bull, Kurmel Sandh, and sheep, Ultia Gadra, played roles similar to those of Hanumana and Jambabana.


REFERENCES:Various Sources

IMAGE REFERENCES:The photos uploaded to the website are collected from various internet sources. ODISHA Tales doesn't own any photos.Thanks to Everyone who clicked these photos.

DISCLAIMER:Testimonials appearing on this site are actually received via text, audio, video submission and some are translated by volunteers. They are individual experiences, reflecting real life experiences of those who have used the website to bring the information for public view. However, there are individual and subgroup findings and that may vary. We are open to receive your input to improve our website. ODISHA Tales is humbled to host the contents. However, respective authors retain the copyright of their own articles. ODISHA Tales bears no responsibility regarding the copyright claims.
Previous Post Next Post

Contact Form