Odia Books

Pratapa Ray as his family surname suggests, came from a Kshatriya family. It is possible that he came from the densely forested north-western region of Orissa, the homeland of Tantric Buddhism. He sings of Lord Jagannath as of the Buddha. He belonged to the Vaishnavite Shishu sect founded by Ananta Dasa of Panchasakha fame.

The only work attributed to Pratapa Raya is Shashisena, published in 1929 by the Prachi Samiti. It is an‘akhyayika’ kavya in fourteen cantos, composed in different metres, and named after its heroine Princess Shashisena who, as a class-fellow of Ahimanikya, the Serpent King’s son, in disguise of a man and brought up as a foster-son by the minister of the land, is secretly wedded to him. The lovers flee from the city to unknown forests encountering demons on their way.

In the Kamakshya country the handsome Ahimanikya is turned into a lamb by the witchcraft of Jnanada Maluni. The helpless Shashisena, disguised as a man, wins the king’s favour by killing a deadly rhinoceros, and cleverly rescues Ahimanikya from his confinement. The man-Shashisena also wins as a reward Princess Chandrabali who marries Ahimanikya and becomes his second bride.

One day urged on by his wives, Ahimanikya most reluctantly discloses his identity as Hali, the Serpent King’s son, and disappears into the land of the Nagas. Shashisena worships the seven Mayakumaris (powerful supernatural beings) who help her reach the land of the Nagas where by the grace of goddess Bisheheri, whom she pleases with her sweet songs, she meets Ahimanikya restored to her.

Pratapa Raya writes in the puranic style. His work is remarkable for its rich descriptive passages and clever use of figures of speech. Like Chata Ichhabati it is unique in so far as its story was drawn from an indigenous folk tale of Orissa, which had attained a marked degree of popularity in Bengal.BIBLIOGRAPHY; Artaba

Chata Ichhabati
Artaba
Shashisena