-
Ayyappan
With Shiva and Vishnu as parents, a child's life is bound to be unusual. Ayyappan's courage is unlimited and his wisdom unmatched. Vicious tigresses fall under his spell just as avenging demons succumb to his divine strength. Only power-crazed human beings are foolish enough to try to destroy this extraordinary lad. But, as he ascends to his rightful place as the god of Shabarimala, the glow of Ayyappan's compassion makes even earthly riches lose their glitter.
-
Bheema and Hanuman
Bheema was the strongman of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata. So was Hanuman the ape in the Ramayana. For both, the poets held that their powers were the gift of the wind-god, their parent. The two face each other in this story from the Mahabharata. During the Pandavas' exile in the forest, their wife Draupadi expresses her wish to have a particular flower. Bheema sets out for the mountain on which the flower blossoms. On the way he demonstrates his strength against an elephant. He is however unable to lift the tail of Hanuman who is lying on the way. An interesting encounter follows and in the end Bheema achieves his purpose. Both are known for their extraordinary strength and valour. Both are the sons of Vayu, the wind God. Hanuman lived in the Tretayug serving Sri rama while Bheema, a contemporary of Krishna, lived in the Dwaparyug. The Mahabharata narrates the story of an encounter between the two mighty brothers.
-
Bahubali....
Bharata, king of Ayodhya, had an overriding ambition to become king of kings. He set about subduing every kingdom possible including those of his brothers. The only person to oppose his arrogance was his half-brother, Bahubali, who defeated Bharata in single combat. However, Bahubali abdicated all claims to the throne and left for the forests to meditate. Centuries later Chavundaraya, a commander-in-chief of the Ganga dynasty built a 57 feet high statue of Bahubali at Shravana Belagola. This story has been taken from Pampa's Adi Purana and Panchabana's Bhujabali Charita.
-
Nahusha
Even though Nahusha, the son of King Ayus and Queen Indumati, was spirited away at birth to be killed by the demon, Hunda, he lived on to achieve immortality. Married to Ashokasundari, the beautiful daughter of Shiva and Parvati, he was elected to be the king of heaven and then his mortal mind succumbed to the sin of pride. The stories of Nahusha are taken from the Padma Purana and the Mahabharata.
-
Mahabharata....
It all began with petty family jealousy. The Kaurava brothers tricked their Pandava cousins out of a kingdom and even Lord Krishna could not stop the horror and bloodshed that followed. Veda Vyasa composed an epic poem, the longest in the world, to describe the events that unfolded. In this epic tale of superhuman heroes and gory action, Veda Vyasa explores human ambitions, relationships and conflicts to find the true purpose of life.
-
Krishna and Jarasandha
The Yadava tribe fled to distant Dwaraka to escape the wrath of the mighty Jarasandha, the ruler of Magadha. This king, whose very name made the strong quake, had to be subdued if the Pandavas were to establish their supremacy in the area. Only their cousin Krishna, a Yadava hero, could help them and this is the tale of his triumph.
-
Vali.
Vali's days were numbered. Brave enough to confront the most vicious of demons and strong enough to destroy them every time, he unfortunately could not conquer his own pride. Foolishly, he turned his adoring brother, Sugreeva, into a mortal enemy and drove him to take the help of that supreme warrior, the mighty Lord Rama.
-
Tripura..
The asuras rejoiced as they played havoc with both men and gods. Maya, their gifted architect, had created for them three cities fortified with iron, silver and gold and the great lord Brahma himself had decreed that these cities would be indestructible, unless struck by a single arrow. The three cities, known together as Tripura, orbited the earth and only once in a thousand years fell in a straight line, directly one above the other. Would Shiva be waiting to destroy them with a twang of his deadly bow?
-
Tales of Narada
Sage Narada symbolizes unqualified devotion to Lord Vishnu, also known as Narayana. He is inseparable from his veena and has the name of Lord Narayana always on his lips. In the Puranic stories, it is Narada who puts the lord's devotees to test. But when he himself is put to test will the celestial sage emerge victorious?
-
Jagannatha of Puri
King Indradyumna of Utkal had only one wish - to be able to build a temple that would be the most beautiful in the world. His quest was for the image of the blue-colored Krishna or Nilamadhav. The king came very close to achieving his goal but his pride and arrogance snatched it away from him leaving him groping once more in the dark. Contained in this Amar Chitra Katha is the legend behind the temple of Jagannathapuri in Orissa and the images enshrined in it.
-
Tanaji...
Tanaji Malasure was only a boy when he took an oath to support his friend, Shivaji, in fighting the Mughals. Along with their small band of faithful followers they became a thorn in the side of the Emperor Aurangzeb as they conquered fort after fort. Tanaji's prowess was tested when he was entrusted with the near impossible task of capturing Kondana Fort. The present story is based on Shivasmruti by G.S. Sardesai and Shivaji the Maratha - His Life and Times by Sir H.G. Rawlinson.
-
Chandragupta Maurya...
Chandragupta Maurya defeated the Nandas and established himself on the throne of Magadha in 321 B.C. It was a journey fraught with dangerous challenges but his chance meeting with the wily Chanakya changed his destiny forever. The clever Brahmin showed him how by the sheer brilliance of his wit and wile he could help the young Mauryan prince to rise from being an unknown warrior to one of the greatest emperors of India.
-
Bidhi Chand
Bidhi Chand was a skilled robber but a meeting with the Sikh Guru, Arjan Dev, changed him. He promised to turn honest, he would tell no lies and never steal again. But then the Mughal Emperor's soldiers forcibly took away two horses belonging to Guru Hargobind, the son of Guru Arjan. The Sikhs did not have the numbers to attack the vast Mughal army. They had to resort to trickery to get the horses back and Bidhi Chand found that he had to go back on his word, just this one time and steal the Guru's horses back from the Mughal fort. Bidhi Chand's plot combined wit, courage and great audacity, tricking the Mughals not once but twice, until they learnt not to underestimate the resourcefulness of the Sikhs.
-
Tipu Sultan-The TIger of Mysore
Tipu Sultan died as he lived, a free man. A childhood spent watching and helping in his father's campaigns had made him a shrewd general. From his father he also inherited courage and a sense of honor and, most importantly, the determination to oust the British from Indian soil. But this noble 18th-century warrior had no weapon against treachery.
-
The Celestial Necklace
King Shrenika was given a necklace of precious stones by a deva for his good deeds. The deva also told him that if the necklace broke the person who repaired it would die. It happened as the king feared. The necklace broke and Queen Chellana, who was wearing it, insisted that it be repaired. Would anyone string the stones, even for a big reward and risk death and if there was such a man, would the king honor his promise and give the reward to his heirs? This Jain story is based on a retelling of tales from the Agamas (Jain texts) by Muni Mahendrakumar.
-
Birbal The wise
Every ruler needs a friend like Birbal - faithful, intelligent and blessed with a wonderful sense of humor. Birbal dealt with every tricky situation, every palace intrigue and every demand of his petulant queen with characteristic aplomb. His gentle tact gave him a unique advantage, he became the all-powerful Akbar's alter ego. With wisdom to match his wit, he soon had both friend and foe under his spell.
-
Stories of Wisdom..
Forest ascetics, simple village lads, experienced travelers and the famous Aushadha Kumar shared a precious trait with the mighty king of Kosala, they were exceptionally wise. These tales make it quite clear that common sense is more precious than all the wealth of the world. So, choose your companions for their sagacity and make yourself rich beyond measure.
-
Tales of Maryada Rama
Rich or poor, old or young, Maryada Rama was fair to all. Though it wasn't always easy to figure who was right and who was wrong, Maryada Rama always found a way. No wonder the king bestowed on the young man the title of City Judge and yet Maryada Rama had had the courage to criticize his king face to face.
-
Choice of Friends
Narayana, the author of these parables, insists that we exercise caution when choosing our companions. His charming animal characters - sometimes silly, sometimes wise - remind us uncomfortably of ourselves. We learn to avoid the pitfalls of life, along with them, thus attaining wisdom in a rather enjoyable way! Most importantly, we realize the worth of an honest friend.
-
Gopal the Jester...
With his presence of mind and unfailing humor, Gopal, the barber, not only made the king of Krishnanagar laugh in the midst of worry or boredom but he also resolved grave matters of state with surprising ease. Bullies and misers, dreamers and the narrow-minded, all got a taste of his wit, much to the delight of readers.
-
The greedy Mother in Law
Saumitri's mother-in-law is a tyrant and a greedy one too. So when Saumitri discovers the pure gold sands of Suvarna Dweep, her mother-in-law decides to go there at once. In another story a pretentious owl tries to match the status of his friend the king of swans and oversteps the boundaries of caution. The Panchatantra, though originally written by Pandit Vishnu Sharma, was reworked by successive writers. The stories in this Amar Chitra Katha are taken from the Kannada translation, of Vasubhaga Datta's version by Durgasimha, a minister at the court of the Chalukya king, Jayasimha.
-
Raman The Matchless Wit
Was Tenali Raman a fool or the cleverest man at the court of Krishnadeva Raya? After all, he humbled great kings as well as learned scholars. Wiggling out of every predicament in unique and unexpected ways, this poet-jester reminds us of Birbal at the court of Akbar. Read his tales and laugh with joy even as his plain common sense leaves you gasping.