King Narasimhadeva & The Old lady: A Motivational Story From Ancient Odisha

That was the time Utkala (current Odisha) was ruled by king Narasimhadeva I of Eastern Ganga Dynasty. The king had a vision to create a temple to worship the Sun in the middle of the sea. The temple was to be of the shape of a giant chariot on wheels each wheel acting as a sun dial, the chariot containing four deities of the sun god at North-South-East-West positions showing the God with different power and moods throughout a single day. A giant magnet at the top of the chariot to balance the whole structure and tinker with the compass of approaching (battle) ships to mislead them. The sea has now receded and the magnet removed. But the history is awe inspiring. Let me quote you a folk ware of that era.

*****

Towards the beginning of the construction of the magnificent temple, on the order of the king small ships loaded with sand, soil and stones were carried to the middle of the sea and the contents were thrown there to create the base of the temple. But Alas, they were all washed away by the giant tides with ease.

The process went on for many days, and finally it seemed like a mission impossible. The desperate king one afternoon left his palace in frustration. Dressed like an ordinary man he roamed around the unspoilt countryside of coastal Utkala on his horseback. Finally famished and thirsty he knocked the door of a small thatched house at the end of a village. An old lady came out. Oblivious to the identity of the stranger she offered him water and some hot Khichdi as a token of her hospitality.

Preoccupied in his own thoughts the king dipped his fingers in the middle of the Khichdi and burnt them.

“Young man, you seem to be as foolish as the king of our land” Seeing him in pain the old lady remarked. “Instead of starting to work from the shore, the silly king Narasimhadeva is pouring sand at the middle of the sea. And here you are pouring your fingers to the center of the hot Khichdi”.

The king was aghast.

Following the sarcastic remark of the old lady the king started his work from the shore and in 12 years, with a workforce of 12 thousand he completed the magnificent Sun temple that awes the tourists from all across the world even today.

*****

The story of “King Narasimhadeva and the Old lady” is an inspiration to all those who wish to achieve something extraordinary in lifetime. Such thoughts, such aspirations need immense strong will, ferocious determination as well as insightful planning.

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing”