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{{Short description|Devotee of Jagannath}}
{{Infobox religious biography
| background = Gold
| name = Manika Gauduni<br/>ମାଣିକ ଗଉଡୁଣୀ
| image = File:Manika Gauduni.png
| alt =
| caption = An image of Manika Gauduni with Gajapati king
| religion = [[Hinduism]]
| sect = Jagannath Culture
| nationality = Indian
| occupation = Milk & Yoghurt selling
| ethnicity = [[Gopal (caste)|Gopala]]
| home_town = [[Manikapatna]]
| era = 15 century
}}
'''Manika''' was a historical figure in the Jagannath culture, popularly called as '''Manika Gauduni''' ({{lit|'Milkmaid'}} Manika),<ref name="Baral2021">{{cite book|author=Snehal Baral|title=Miracles of Lord Jagannath|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-yY0EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA38|date=22 June 2021|publisher=OrangeBooks Publication|pages=38–|id=GGKEY:CN1HFCP40PU}}</ref><ref name="Das2010">{{cite book|author=Suryanarayan Das|title=Lord Jagannath|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=gFn8wSDfSxEC&pg=PA163&dq=manika%20milk%20maid%20jagannath&f|year=2010|publisher=Sanbun Publishers|isbn=978-93-80213-22-4|pages=163–}}</ref> it is believed that she offered yoghurt to Lord [[Jagannath]] and [[Balabhadra]] when they were going to [[Kanchi]] expedition of [[Gajapati Kingdom|Gajapati]] King.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://odisha.gov.in/e-magazine/orissaannualreference/ORA-2005/pdf/lord_jagannath.pdf|title=Odisha Government Portal|website=Odisha.gov.in|accessdate=2 November 2017}}</ref>

==Story of Manika==
Manika was born in a cowherd (Gopala) family, who had the job of selling milk & yoghurt every days. She was also a devotee of lord [[Jagannath]] and had a dream from childhood of giving yoghurt to lord.<ref>{{cite book|title=Orissa Review|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=ThzLJGcfOBEC&dq=manika+cowherd|year=1890|publisher=Home Department, Government of Orissa}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=muQfAAAAIAAJ&q=manika+jagannath|title=Legends and Stories on Lord Jagannath|first1=Gagan Mohan|last1=Tripathy|first2=Birañci Nārāẏaṇa|last2=Dāśa|date=2 November 1990|publisher=Niladrisha Publications|accessdate=2 November 2017|via=Google Books}}</ref>

One day the [[Gajapati Empire|Gajapati]] king of [[Kalinga]] (now Odisha) started an expedition to Kanchi and prayed lord for help. Lord Jagannath and [[Balarama]] were in the guise of soldier, one riding a black horse and another on a white horse marched way ahead of [[Purushottama Deva]]'s army. But they were not noticed by anyone. Near [[Chilika|Chilika lake]] (still exists a few miles away from [[Puri, Odisha|Puri]]) as the soldiers rested to have some foods these two soldiers went to a nearby stall of Manika and requested her to sell them yoghurt.<ref name="Pal2014">{{cite book|author=Susant Pal|title=Imbibed in Faith|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=284AAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT110|date=5 February 2014|publisher=Partridge Publishing India|isbn=978-1-4828-1259-6|pages=110–}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Bonding with the Lord: Jagannath, Popular Culture and Community Formation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XN7FDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT198|date=18 November 2019|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-93-88414-53-1|pages=198–}}</ref> She didn't recognize the lords, thinking as soldiers she asked for money. Lord Jagannath gave her his own precious Gem-studded ring (called "Ratnamudrika") and said she could exchange this for money from the king, who will pass by shortly. When the king reached the spot later Manika stopped the marching king and told him that he must to pay her price of yoghurt consumed by his two soldiers in the lieu of a ring. When king saw the ''Ratnamudrika'' , he immediately recognized it to be of lord Jagannath. He was overjoyed to knowing that lords were leading his March against Kanchi. The king gave Manika a large number of money and granted a village to Manika for her sustenance. The village came to be known as [[Manikpatna]].<ref name="Varadpande2009">{{cite book|author=Manohar Laxman Varadpande|title=Mythology of Vishnu and His Incarnations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_XrFh2S8nlEC&pg=PA179|year=2009|publisher=Gyan Publishing House|isbn=978-81-212-1016-4|pages=179–}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Manika Gaudani|last=Samaya|first=Magazine|date=18 August 2015|publisher=Ashirbad Publications|location=Bhubaneswar|pages=36–37}}
</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nitaaiveda.com/All_Scriptures_By_Acharyas/Bhakti_Purushottama_Swami/Lord_Shri_Jagannatha_at_Puri/Kanchi_Abhiyan.htm|title=Kanchi Abhiyan|author=ନିତାଇ ବେଦ|website=Nitaaiveda.com|access-date=18 August 2015}}
</ref>

==In popular culture==
''[[Manika (film)|Manika]]'', a black and white movie, was released in 1986 in the [[Odia language]] describing the background of this story.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Cultural history of Odisha]]
[[Category:Devotees of Jagannath]]

Manika Gauduni - Revision history

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