A Ballad, Not a Book
The story of Rajula and Malushahi has been sung in Kumaon for centuries, mainly by the hurkiya folk singers who travelled from village to village with their small drums. A full performance can last several nights. Because it lived in song, there are many versions, and names and details vary. The outline below follows the most commonly told form.
Two Children, One Promise
In the high Bhot region near the Tibetan border lived Sunpati Shauka, a wealthy trader whose caravans carried goods between the Himalayan valleys and Tibet. Far to the south, in the green valley of Bairath (near today's Chaukhutia in Almora district), ruled a Katyuri king.
The trader and his wife had no children, and they went on pilgrimage to pray for one. There, the story goes, they met the Katyuri queen, who was also childless and praying. The two women made a promise: if one had a son and the other a daughter, the children would marry.
Their prayers were answered. The trader's wife gave birth to a daughter, Rajula, and the queen to a son, Malushahi.
A Promise Broken
The Katyuri king died soon after his son's birth, and the court's astrologers blamed the child's stars. The promise of marriage was quietly forgotten. Sunpati Shauka grew rich, and when Rajula grew up he arranged to marry her to a powerful prince from the Tibetan side of the border, known in the songs as Vikhipal of Hunia country.
Rajula, however, had heard of the promise made at her birth and had long dreamed of Malushahi. Refusing the match, she set out alone across the mountains to find him in Bairath.
Spells and Separation
Rajula reached Bairath, but Malushahi's mother, wary of the marriage, had him put into a magical sleep, and Rajula could not wake him. Heartbroken, she left a ring and a message and returned home, where she was forced to marry the Hunia prince.
When Malushahi woke and found the ring, he was determined to get her back. He sought the help of the great yogi Guru Gorakhnath, learned his magic and disguised himself as a wandering jogi to travel north to the land of the Shaukas and Hunias.
Poison and Rescue
In disguise, Malushahi found Rajula. But her family discovered who he was and poisoned him. In the darkest part of the ballad, the prince lies dead far from home. Gorakhnath's followers, alerted by magic, came to his rescue and brought him back to life. Malushahi then defeated his enemies with the help of his loyal soldiers.
In the end, Rajula and Malushahi were married and returned together to Bairath, where they were welcomed with music and celebrations.
Why Kumaon Loves This Story
- A window into history: The ballad remembers the Katyuri court at Bairath and the old trans-Himalayan trade between Kumaon's Shauka (Bhotiya) traders and Tibet.
- A strong heroine: Rajula is no passive princess — she crosses mountains on her own to choose her husband.
- A living tradition: The ballad has been adapted into plays, songs and books, and is still performed at cultural festivals across Kumaon.