The Conquest of Kanchi: A Play

The Conquest of Kanchi (1880) is the first play of Ramshankar Ray which was staged in 1881. It is based on the historic war between Gajapati Purushottam Dev, the illustrious king of the Surya dynasty of Odisha; and Saluva Narasimha Dev, the ruler of Kanchi. The play is foregrounded on the legend of romantic love between Gajapati King Purushottam Dev and Padmavati, the princess of Kanchi which led to the invasion of Kanchi and eventually their wedding. Ray has retained the legend of Lord Jagannath and Lord Balabhadra joining the battle, being entertained by the milkmaid Manika on the way to Kanchi and the minister’s ingenious efforts to unite the lovers in wedlock during Rath Yatra. Ray has adapted this glorious history of love and has added romance, heroism, conflict, excitement, war, suspense and surprise to transform it into an entertaining work of art. The play instantly won audiences’ hearts with its popular nationalistic theme and attractive presentation.