About this edition

The work

Okhaharan (also spelled Okha Haran, Okha-Haran, Okha haran varta) is a classical Gujarati akhyana — a narrative poem performed in song — by Mahakavi Premanand (1649–1714), the most celebrated poet of the medieval Gujarati literary tradition. Across 93 kadvaas (cantos), it tells the love story of Okha (also called Usha), daughter of the demon king Banasura, and Aniruddha, grandson of Krishna.

Okha sees Aniruddha in a dream and falls in love with him. Her companion Chitralekha, an artist, paints his likeness so they can identify him; through her magical powers she fetches Aniruddha from Krishna's city of Dwarka to Banasura's stronghold of Shonitpur. Banasura imprisons Aniruddha, and Krishna marches to war against him. Premanand renders this Puranic episode in lyrical Gujarati with raag-based singing structure and recurring valan (refrains) at the close of each kadvu.

Key characters

• Okha / Usha — daughter of Banasura, heroine of the work
• Aniruddha — grandson of Krishna (son of Pradyumna)
• Banasura / Bana / Banasur — demon king of Shonitpur, devotee of Shiva
• Chitralekha — Okha's companion, a skilled painter and magician
• Krishna — divine intervener, ultimately defeats Banasura
• Shiva — Banasura's protector deity

Reading during Adhik Maas (Purushottam Maas)

A long-standing Gujarati tradition is to read Mahakavi Premanand’s akhyanas — Okhaharan, Sudamacharitra, Nalakhyana — during Adhik Maas, the auspicious extra month of the Hindu lunisolar calendar. With 93 kadvas, Okhaharan is naturally suited: roughly three kadvas a day completes the full text by the time the month ends. Read more about reading Okhaharan during Adhik Maas →

Available in three languages

Every kadvu on this site is presented in the original 17th-century Gujarati alongside three modern translations:

• Modern Gujarati prose — for readers who find the medieval poetic form difficult.
• English — for the global Gujarati diaspora and anyone studying classical Indian literature.
• Hindi (हिन्दी) — for the wider Indian audience familiar with the Krishna-Aniruddha legend.

Use the language dropdown in the header to switch between translations on any kadvu page. Your choice is saved across visits.

Looking for an Okhaharan PDF?

We do not host the work as a downloadable PDF — the full text lives on this site, organised by kadvu, fully searchable, with all three translations one click away. This is significantly more useful than a PDF: you can find any verse, share a specific canto by URL, switch languages instantly, and read comfortably on phone or desktop. If you need an offline copy of a single kadvu, your browser’s Print → Save as PDF produces a clean version. The same applies to anyone searching for an Okhaharan Gujarati PDF, English PDF, or Hindi PDF — all three translations are here.

A humble attempt

This site is a humble attempt to make sure Mahakavi Premanand's timeless rachana — composed over three centuries ago — reaches readers everywhere who want to read, recite, or simply discover it. The text was prepared with care from a public-domain edition, and modern translations into Gujarati prose, English, and Hindi accompany each kadvu so readers across languages can connect with the original verses.

If you spot an error in the Gujarati text or a translation, please report it here — email [email protected] with the page URL, the wrong translation, your suggested correction, and a screenshot if helpful. Every report helps the rachana reach future readers more faithfully.