''Manika'' is a 1986 socio-mythological

Odia-language Odia (, ISO 15919, ISO: , ; formerly rendered Oriya ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the Languages with official status in India, official language in Odisha (formerly rendered Or ...

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

directed Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

by R. Asrar. The film depicts the legendary story of one of the devotees of Lord

Jagannath Jagannath ( or, ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ, lit=Lord of the Universe, Jagannātha; formerly en, Juggernaut) is a deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India and Bangladesh as part of a triad along with his brother Balabhadra, and sister ...

, Manika the milkmaid.

Plot

Manika, a milkmaid (Gauduni) and orphan girl, is a devotee of the Lord

, convinced that one day she will get a glimpse of the Lord and ultimately attain

Moksha ''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriologic ...

: freedom from the endless cycle of transmigration into a state of bliss. After defeat in the famous Kanchi expedition, the Gajapati of

Kalinga Kalinga may refer to: Geography, linguistics and/or ethnology * Kalinga (historical region), a historical region of India ** Kalinga (Mahabharata), an apocryphal kingdom mentioned in classical Indian literature ** Kalinga script, an ancient writ ...

now

Odisha, India Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

prays Lord

and moved with the prayer Lorg

along with his brother Lord

Balabhadra In Jainism, Balabhadra or Baladeva are among the sixty-three illustrious beings called ''śalākāpuruṣas'' that are said to grace every half cycle of time. According to Jain cosmology, ''śalākāpuruṣa'' are born on this earth in every ...

started expedition to Kanchi on horse-back. On the banks of

Mahanadi The Mahanadi is a major river in East Central India. It drains an area of around and has a total length of . Mahanadi is also known for the Hirakud Dam. The river flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha and finally merged with Bay ...

, they reach to Manika, who is selling curd. Both the Gods drink curd and presented a golden ring studded with precious gems to Manika and said, 'the king of

' will come here, after some time, on his way to Kanchi. You present it to him and he will pay you the money. Later, the king himself passed by with his army. Milkmaid Manika obstructed the Gajapati pleading for the unpaid cost of yogurt consumed by Gajapati's two leading soldiers riding on black and white horses and produced the gold ring as evidence. Gajapati identified the ring as that of Lord

and upon the divine support, enthusiastically led the expedition. Manika is in a state of disbelief and she finally get glimpse of the God. Her ambition of the lifetime fulfilled. She decide to devote her rest of life in the prayer of lord

Cast

* Tandra Ray as Manika *

Bijay Mohanty Bijay Mohanty (8 April 1950 – 20 July 2020) was an Indian actor in Odia Cinema. He was honored a National Film Award. Personal life ;Early life Mohanty was born in 1950 at Pandiri, Kendrapara and brought up in Baripada, Mayurbhanj, Odisha. He ...

as Chandra Behera * Gurudatta Samantsinhar as Lord Jagannath *Gita Datta *Gadi *Premananda Mohanty

Music

The music of the film composed by Upendra Kumar. The tracks from the film include:

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 1411733, Manika 1986 films Films set in Odisha 1980s Odia-language films