ISBN : 81-7508-317-4 

Vol. No : 706 

Not far from Puri in Orissa stands the famed temple of Sakshi Gopal. Although centuries have gone by, the legend that gave the deity, Lord Krishna, this name is still popular - not only in the states of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, but in other parts of our country as well.The hero of this story is the honest Mahindra who loves Vasanti, a girl of his own village. But he was a destitute orphan, and Vasanti’s father, Raghav, was avaricious. The disappointed Mahindra soon departs to seek his livelihood in the temple town of Gopalji. Fate places Raghav in a situation from which Mahindra rescues him, and greatly pleased, Raghav promises Mahindra his daughter’s hand in marriage. The only witness to this is the deity, Gopalji, as the promise is made in front of his temple.Once he is safely back in his village, however, Raghav does not take into account this “witness”, and denies the promise to our hero. Alone and forlorn, Mahindra implores the deity to testify that Vasanti had indeed been promised to him. How the deity came to his rescue and helped him win his bride is the legend colourfully retold in our Amar Chitra Katha.