Pauni, a small town in Bhandara, Maharashtra was once considered the capital of Pawan Dev, the Wind God. The empire of Pawan Dev extended from Bhandak to Amraoti. Pawan Dev took a bath at Pauni, had his meal in Bhandak, and slept in Amravati.
Pawan Dev‘s wife, Kamla Rani, also known as the Queen of Water Lily, could walk on water and stand on the lotus leaves in the water. She could even draw water with unbaked earthen pots using untwined strings. Although rich, both Pawan Dev and Kamla Rani wore simple, white garments spun with their own hands. People admired them for their simplicity and paid tribute to Pawan Dev in iron ore.
The royal couple owned a stone that could turn iron ore into gold. As the Queen didn’t wear any gold ornaments, they never needed to use the stone.
During the Pola festival, Kamla Rani saw other women dressed in luxurious garments and precious ornaments. Yearning to dress like them, she went to Pawan Dev and told him her desire.
Surprised at her request, Pawan Dev tried to talk Kamla Rani out of it, explaining that her beauty and grace were matchless in her simple white dress. He also inquired as to why she wanted to degrade her divine charm to the level of mortals. He added that she might even repent it later.
However, Kamla Rani was having none of it. She asked her husband to use their touchstone to make all types of gold ornaments for her, so she could wear them to the Pola festival. Despite his reluctance and disappointment, Pawan Dev gave her everything she wanted.
When Kamla Rani joined other women in the Pola festival, she no longer looked distinct from others. She returned to the palace disappointed. When she used her unbaked earthen pot to draw water from the well, the untwined strings snapped. The pot also dissolved like clay in water. When she stepped on the lotus leaf, she drowned.
To her shock, she realized that all her miraculous powers had disappeared. Heartbroken, Kamla Rani realized that she had unwittingly brought about her own downfall. She now knew what had befallen her. She had desires like those of ordinary mortals, so she wasn’t supposed to have any extraordinary powers either.
Pawan Dev felt sad about whatever happened to the Queen. A few days later, a powerful earthquake razed Pauni to the ground. Days later, a small town sprang up in the same place with the same name.
Kalai is passionate about reading and reinterpreting folk tales from all over the country. Write to her at kalai.muse@gmail.com to know more about her.
Folk tale adopted and abridged from Internet Archive.