Long, long ago, when Krishna was still the king of Dwarka, the region, presently known as Tezpur, was ruled by king Banasura. He was the son of King Bali and grandson of King Prahlad. He was also a great devotee of Lord Shiva.
He once performed a severe penance for which Shiva blessed him with a thousand arms. However, this made Banasura extremely vain and egotistical. Upon witnessing this, Shiva cautioned Banasura that his conceit would crumble in the near future, leading to the destruction of his arrogance and ultimately resulting in his downfall.
However, Banasura did not pay much heed and continued to be a severe and despotic ruler. Banasura lived in a large palace, along with his family. He had a very beautiful daughter – Usha.
Banasura was overly protective of his daughter and aimed to exercise great discernment in choosing the right partner for her. Thus, Banasura kept her isolated in the palace, and away from everyone, and only a select few were allowed to the inner chambers of the princess. Among these trusted people was Usha’s dear friend Chitralekha, who was the daughter of Banasura’s minister.
Chitralekha was no ordinary friend; she had magical powers. One night, Usha dreamt about a handsome young man and fell in love with the man from her dream. However, she knew that it was almost an impossible feat to see him, as it was just a dream.
When Princess Usha spoke about her dream to Chitralekha, she wanted to help her friend and drew a portrait based on Usha’.