Long, long ago, a king called Bana Bhat ruled at Kangra. He was an ideal and simple king and he earned his own living by making ropes and selling them at a fair price. He got the name of “Bana Bhat” as bana means rope and bhat means to distribute. He had a very faithful and religious wife called Mehto. She used to do all the household work and draw water in an earthen pot from a well near the fort early in the morning. During her leisure she used to spin and both she and the king used to wear hand-spun cloth only.
Raja Bana Bhat after completing his court work used to come and stay in a hut near the fort and make ropes. All his subjects were very happy. They had all praise for the king and the queen because there was no tax and they had plenty to eat. Kangra used to have a big fair. Men, women and children in very large numbers came to see the fair, make purchases and sell their wares. They would put on their costliest clothes while visiting the fair.
Once the king and the queen also went to see the fair in their usual simple dress. They moved among the men and women freely. There were no body-guards, no servants, no pomp and show. Only those who had seen the king before could recognise him. One rich merchant and his wife had also come to see the fair. He was said to be the richest man in Kangra valley. The merchant’s wife had a necklace worth nine lakhs of rupees (navlakha). People were curious to see the necklace and wherever they went there was a heavy rush. The king and the queen also met the merchant and his wife. They stood there for a little while and started talking. The merchant’s wife talked to the queen. She was very proud of her necklace. She was haughty even when she talked to the queen. The queen felt rather small for not having a necklace. She wanted to have a similar necklace.
The next day when the king returned home after finishing his work he found the queen very sad. This went on for quite a few days. One day the king asked the queen as to why she was sullen and morose. The queen kept silent for some time and then said, “I am fed up with my wretched life. We are king and queen but we have to toil for our bread the whole day. I have no ornaments to wear and we lead a very miserable life. Unless and until I get a necklace worth 9 lakhs of rupees I will not have any mental peace.” The king was very sorry to hear this. He kept on explaining to her the reasons why they led a simple life but nothing seemed to have any effect on her.
Finally the king taxed his subjects and collected the amount and got the navlakha necklace made. The queen wore the necklace in the morning and admired herself in the mirror. When the king returned from his work he was very tired and had fever. He called the queen and asked for some water. The queen came near the king and found that he had high fever. She sat near him. Again the king asked for water. The queen took the pitcher and tied its neck with a rope and dropped it in the well. But to her utter surprise the pitcher melted away as soon as it touched the water. She felt very sorry. She realised the reason for her not being able to bring water was that she had lost her simplicity.
She threw away her necklace and wore a simple dress and took another pitcher. Only then was she able to fill it up with water. By the time the queen came with water, the king had passed away. The queen wept bitterly and went mad and died a few days after. Kangra which was once upon a time a prosperous region became poor after the death of such a high-minded but simple king. Even now people of Kangra recall Bana Bhat and think the poverty of the area is due to the queen losing her simplicity.
A Folktale sourced from Folk Tales of Himachal Pradesh by KA Seethalakshmi.
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