Story of Raja Pritam Dev
Story of Raja Pritam Dev
Story of Raja Pritam Dev : In the past, a series of powerful and respected kings ruled over the beautiful Kingdom of Katyur. The list of these kings is as follows: Urni Kunwar, Jat Kunwar, Sat Kunwar, Aichand, Baichand, Hunga Dawar, Changa Dawar, ‘Gorabadal, Pirthu, Gangadeo, and Pritamdeo.
Pritamdeo was a very wealthy and successful king, but he did not have any children. As he grew older, he really wanted a son. One day, he shut himself in a dark room and lay on a broken bed because he was so sad about not having a child. The drums in the palace stopped playing and no one held court. He didn’t eat or drink because he was so upset.
Pritamdeo had a nephew named Brahmdeo, who heard about his uncle’s sadness. Brahmdeo tried to comfort him and told him that a man should not give up hope of having children until he has married seven wives. Brahmdeo offered to help Pritamdeo find a wife. Pritamdeo agreed to let his nephew help him.
In a nearby country called Mayapur Hat, there was a king named Amardeo Pundir. Here is the list of his ancestors: Asa Teg Pundir, Bhag Teg Pundir, Nur Teg Pundir, Saldeo Pundir, Balti Pundir, Airdeo Pundir, Bairdeo Pundir, Asal Teg Pundir, Asram Pundir, Bharti Pundir, Kartan Pundir, and Amardeo Pundir.
Amardeo Pundir had a wife named Jamola, but they did not have any children. Jamola prayed to the god Shiva, asking for a child. Shiva was pleased with her and granted her wish. In time, Jamola gave birth to a daughter named Moladei, who was very beautiful.
When Moladei was seven years old, Brahmdeo sent a letter to Amardeo Pundir, asking him to let Moladei marry Pritamdeo. Amardeo Pundir was very angry when he read the letter. He wrote back, saying that it was ridiculous for Pritamdeo to marry his daughter because they were not of equal social status, and also because Pritamdeo was like a grandfather to Moladei. Brahmdeo sent another letter to Amardeo Pundir, threatening to invade his land if he did not let Moladei marry Pritamdeo. Amardeo Pundir was scared, so he agreed to let his daughter marry Pritamdeo. They had a ceremony called a betrothal, and they set a date for the wedding.
On the wedding day, Pritamdeo was taken to Mayapur Hat in a silver palanquin, which is like a fancy chair carried by people. When it was time for the wedding ceremony to be completed, Moladei said some mean things to Pritamdeo about their ages and how they were related. Pritamdeo was very upset and left the wedding without marrying Moladei.
Amardeo Pundir felt very embarrassed that the bridegroom had left the bride at the wedding. He sent some very fierce warriors called Maharas to force Pritamdeo to take Moladei as his wife. They threatened to kill Pritamdeo if he didn’t do what they said. Pritamdeo was afraid, so he took Moladei as his wife.
After some time, Moladei asked Pritamdeo if she should try to have a baby. Pritamdeo jokingly told her to go on a pilgrimage to different holy places and pray for a son. Moladei went on a long journey to many sacred places and prayed very hard for a son.
When she returned to a place called Joshimath, Moladei prayed to a god named Narsingh for a son. The god was pleased with her and caused the sun’s rays to enter her womb, which helped her to become pregnant. In time, Moladei gave birth to a very handsome and strong son named Dula Dhamdeo.
One day, when Moladei was bathing in a river, a hair from her head fell into the water and was eaten by a fish. A fisherman named Bhana caught the fish and took it to his boss, a man named Bhaga Turank, who was the king of a place called Bhanikot. When they cut open the fish’s stomach, they found Moladei’s hair. Bhaga was very impressed by the hair and wanted to meet the person it belonged to. He asked Bhana to take him to the place where he had caught the fish.
Bhaga saw Moladei bathing in the river and was amazed by her beauty. He set up his camp near the river and ordered his men to bring Moladei to him. Moladei was very scared and prayed to her family goddess for help. As soon as Bhaga’s men approached Moladei, they all lost their eyesight. Moladei prayed that, if she was truly virtuous, the enemy would die. Suddenly, a storm of thunderbolts fell from the sky and killed Bhaga and his men. Then Moladei returned to Katurgarh with her son.
The other wives of Pritamdeo were jealous of Moladei and her son, so they told Pritamdeo that Dhamdeo was not really his son. But Pritamdeo thought that Dhamdeo looked very much like him and couldn’t bring himself to say that Dhamdeo wasn’t his son. The other wives continued to say mean things about Moladei and her son.
When Dhamdeo was twelve years old, Pritamdeo, influenced by his other wives, told Dhamdeo to go and kill a monster named Samwa, who lived in a deep lake and had taken many of Pritamdeo’s buffaloes and drowned them in the lake. Dhamdeo went to the lake and challenged Samwa to a fight. Samwa saw how handsome and young Dhamdeo was and tried to convince him not to fight. But when Dhamdeo wouldn’t listen, Samwa told him that his soul actually lived in the body of Pritamdeo. If Dhamdeo really wanted to kill Samwa, he would have to kill Pritamdeo first. Dhamdeo went back and killed Pritamdeo. As soon as Pritamdeo died, Samwa also died.
Dhamdeo then became the king of Katyurgarh and ruled his kingdom with peace and prosperity.
Q1: Who is the main character in this Himalayan folklore of Story of Raja Pritam Dev?
A1: The main character is Pritamdeo, a king in the Kingdom of Katyur.
Q2: What is the significance of Pritamdeo’s son in this story?
A2: Pritamdeo’s son, Dula Dhamdeo, becomes the ruler of Katyurgarh after a series of events.
Q3: How did Pritamdeo’s son, Dula Dhamdeo, become a king?
A3: Dula Dhamdeo became a king after he killed a monster named Samwa, who was connected to Pritamdeo’s life.
