Fascinating Tales of Tenali Raman

Tenali Raman looked out to find that the plants in his garden needed watering. But as he looked out, he saw some strange men creeping stealthily in the bushes. They were thieves. He had to think fast.He called out loudly to his wife, “There are thieves in the kingdom, my dear. We must hide all […]

There was a lot of noise in the market–place. A merchant was in the middle of the crowd shouting at the top of his voice.“I have lost my purse! I have lost my purse with varahas in it! Oh, my money! Please find it! I will reward anyone who finds it!”A poor beggar who was

Often Krishnadeva Raya toured his kingdom to hear the complaints of his subjects and to set things right. Usually, Tenali Raman was also with him.One day, the King saw a peasant working in the field and asked Tenali Raman to go and talk to him. Tenali Raman returned after speaking to him and told the

A son was born to King Krishnadeva Raya. There was great celebration in the kingdom. Everyone came to bless the child and congratulate the King.Tenali Raman came too. He looked at the infant in his cradle and said, “Sir, your little son will be an even greater man than his father.”The King smiled but said,

Vijayanagara was once having a terrible time being overrun by mice. They made everyone’s life a misery, eating food, getting into granaries, biting the animals and even babies. The people asked the King for help, making no effort to deal with the mice on their own.The King was known to be generous. He immediately ordered

Everyone in Vijayanagara knew that Tenali Raman was the King’s favourite. The King gave him many gifts and rewards. So, they knew he must be quite rich. This was good news for all the thieves of the kingdom, because they thought his house would be full of money, jewels and costly gifts.Once a thief decided

It was a custom to have intellectual debates in courts. A ruler would organize such debates to see which scholars were most learned. The ashtadiggajas of Vijayanagara’s court were famous for this.One day, their fame reached the ears of Ramachandra Naidu of Talikota, who himself was a great scholar. He had defeated many well-known intellectuals

King Krishnadeva Raya was holding court. Suddenly, an old man came in leading five little boys. Everyone looked around at them. They were all strangers. And all the five boys seemed like brothers. They were of the same height and dressed alike.“Who are you, my good old man?” asked the King, “And who are these

Krishnadeva Raya was a good King. He often travelled through his kingdom to check on the conditions in which his subjects lived. He enjoyed being flattered sometimes, but he was not so foolish that he got carried away by flattery. He wanted to know the truth.During one of his tours of the kingdom, he asked

Vijayanagara was a very prosperous kingdom. Naturally, that created a lot of enemies around it. The Muslim Bahamani Kings attacked the kingdom for religious reasons. The Gajapatis of Odisha were jealous neighbours and wanted to extend their own kingdom. Vijayanagara was, therefore, always fighting off its enemies.The King often discussed the problems of the kingdom

Tatthacharya was the Rajaguru at the court. He was respected and liked. But not all his views were very sensible. Sometimes he said things which were quite foolish.One day he said, “The rich are more honest than the poor who need money. So, they steal and commit crimes more often.” None argued with him. But

The ministers, the ashtadiggajas and the Rajaguru were arguing one day about people finding fault with others, but not improving their own faults. The Rajaguru felt this was not true. Tenali Raman was silent.Meanwhile, an artist came in with a painting and showed it to the King and the courtiers. It was an exquisite painting

Krishnadeva Raya toured his kingdom to find out how things were going. Often Tenali Raman accompanied him. Once, travelling to Bijapur, he saw a lavish wedding in a rich landlord’s house. He stopped to watch for a while. Then he asked Tenali Raman, “How much do you think this fellow has spent on this wedding?”Tenali

Vijayanagara was a great centre for trade and commerce. Merchants came from many countries to carry on their businesses and also settle down in the prosperous kingdom of King Krishnadeva Raya. Often, they brought rare and costly gifts also for the King. Once the King received a very rare plant from a Persian merchant.He was

King Krishnadeva Raya was very fond of birds and animals. He loved to have pets around the palace. Most of his subjects knew of his interest in collecting exotic birds and animals.One day, a guard informed the court that a bird-catcher had come to present a strange bird to the King. The bird-catcher was called