The Cat and the Pigeon

“Tales of Abolkara” (the disobedient attendant) are oral narratives, which enjoy immense popularity in Orissa. In these tales, Abolkara accompanies his learned master on a long journey. Whenever he chances upon something interesting and unusual, he insists on his indulgent master explaining it. The explanation takes the form of an enthralling story populated by fascinating characters, often including birds and beasts. This tale has been taken from a collection compiled by Maheshwar Mishra, published in 1940.

After they walked some distance, Abolkara saw a cat killing a pigeon and then bowing respectfully to it. He turned to his master and asked, “The cat has killed the pigeon, why is it bowing to the dead pigeon, and not eating it?” On hearing this, his master said, “It’s already noon. Let us sit under the tree. Spread the sheet, anchor the umbrella on the ground, and then Abolkara, let me tell you a story.”  

The master began narrating a story, set in the kingdom of Pratisthanpur.  It was ruled by a king named Veerabaahu. He had no children, he was sad. One day, a holy man called Pushkar Das, came to the king. The king received him warmly, put him up…