Tag: Indian folk tales
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Tenali Raman salutes the donkeys
In the court of King Krishnadevaraya was a Royal Guru or teacher named Thathacharya. He was the oldest and the most respected person in the King’s court. While everyone respected Thathacharya, there was one character trait of his they uniformly despised. Every time, Thathacharya came across a person from a particular sect, he would cover…
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Who is the Real King?
Birbal was one of the most trusted advisors of Mughal Emperor Akbar, known for his wit and intelligence. As time passed, his fame grew far and wide. Reports of his intelligence and wits reached the King of Iran. The king was intrigued. “I wonder if Birbal is as sharp as everyone says he is. The…
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Tenali Raman’s cat
Once, there was a significant rat infestation in one of the villages in Vijayanagara. The rats spoilt everything in the houses. They touched everything in the kitchen, nibbled on food kept in sacks and tore the clothes. Tired of the rat menace, the villagers requested the King to provide a solution. King Krishnadevaraya called his…
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A Strange Dream
One of Emperor Akbar’s fondest wishes was to win the battle of wits with Birbal. Akbar frequently tried to tease Birbal but unfortunately always ended up getting ridiculed. When Akbar and Birbal were taking a stroll in the palace garden, Akbar suddenly said, “Birbal, I had the strangest of dreams yesterday, and I am worried…
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The Horse Race
One day, a trader from Arabia visited King Krishnadevaraya. Introducing himself, he said, “Your majesty, I am known to breed the best racehorses. If you are interested, I can show them to you, and you can decide for yourself. It would be my honour to sell the best Persian horses to you.” The trader took…
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Tenali Raman outwits the thieves
The people of Vijayanagara were worried. Two thieves were wreaking havoc in the Kingdom. Every day, someone was losing their valuables from their house. Wanting an end to the menace, they went to the palace gates of King Krishnadevaraya to complain. Hearing the commotion, the King asked one of his ministers, “What is going on?…
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Crow in the Kingdom
Emperor Akbar was having some official discussions with his courtiers. Suddenly, the courtiers noticed him distracted by something. The object of his attention was a bunch of crows drinking water from a pond on the palace grounds. Akbar was amazed at the birds’ sheer number and started counting the crows one by one, but soon…
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Tenali Raman Meets Goddess Kali
In the village of Tenali lived a man called Ramakrishna. He was admired by one and all for his quick wit and intelligence. One day, Ramakrishna met a sage who was visiting his village. The sage was impressed with Ramakrishna and wanted to do something for him. The sage told Ramakrishna, “Rama, I will teach…
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Birbal catches the thief
Akbar was holding court with his courtiers one day when a wealthy merchant came to him, agitated. “Your majesty, I have been robbed. The 10,000 cold coins that I had in my home have gone missing. Please help me get it back.” Akbar asked, “When did you find the money missing?” The merchant replied, “This…
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Who is more greedy?
One day, Akbar held a celebration in the palace. He invited all his courtiers for a grand feast. After eating their meal, they sat down to have fresh dates for dessert. Both Akbar and Birbal loved dates, so they ate with gusto the dates in their bowl. While eating, they threw the seeds under their…
Kavi ram 