Historical Fiction ‘Konark- A Story of Explosive Love’ by Biswakesh Tripathy released

Bhubaneswar: A book release function of “Konark-A Story of Explosive Love” by noted author Biswakesh Tripathy was held at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan here on Saturday.

The book was released by eminent Odissi dancer and educationist, Padma Shri Prof Priyambada Mohanty Hejmadi in the presence of distinguished guests Prof Asim Ranjan Parhi and other guests.

The book, a historical fiction speaks about the eternal love between King Narasingha Dev of Ganga Dynasty of Utkala, who had built the famous Sun temple Konark (Black Pagoda) around 1238 A.D. and Maya, the daughter of the chieftain of Sishupalgarh, then an important fortress of Utkala.

King Narasingha Dev was a devoted Sun worshipper and an unabashed nudist. The Konark temple was built near the coast of Kalinga Mahodadhi (Bay of Bengal). It is believed that the Konark was built in the Padmaganda of Chandrabhaga estuary. In the vicinity was Mitrabana, a luxurious forest rich in fruit-bearing trees and herbal plants.

There are many myths, legends and stories about Konark. The names of Sadasiba Samantarai, Bisu Maharana and his teenage son Dharama crop up as the main characters concerned with the construction of the Konark Temple.

Around these little facts and fiction the theme of the book is built into the ethos of Odishan cultural history. The author has liberally borrowed from such ethos and given wings to his flights of fancy to the extent which he strongly believes must have been the way of life in that era.

Biswakesh Tripathy, a seasoned author has authored six books in Odia, six collections of short poems and one long poem sequence in English, besides a book on ‘Terrorism and Insurgency in India’. His two books in Odia have been translated into English titled ‘Tales from Ramayana and Mahabharata’ and ‘My Life and Times in IPS’. In the recent past he has published two historical fictions titled ‘In the Cradle of the Seven Sisters’ and ‘Kharavela – The Warrior Seeker’.