Face-Saving Formula | Tenali Raman Story

This story is from the Tenali Raman Collections when a Pahalwaan ( Wrestler ) shows up in Vijayanagara.

The story goes like this. One time, the king of Vijayanagara, Krishnadeva Raya got angry with Tenali Raman and he asked him not to show his face. 

Raman was disappointed and he wanted to win the King's heart back. On the very next morning, Raman was surprised to see a tall, fat man being carried on a chair by four short and stout men. The procession was heading to the palace. “This must be the pahalwan from the north,” thought Raman, who had heard people talking about a strong man from the north.

How Tenali Raman Saved Himself (Outwit the Guards) | Tenali Raman

One time Tenali Raman went to KrishnaDevaRaya, the king of Vijayanagar. He thought he will receive some gifts from the king. Instead, the king got angry with him because he came without an appointment.

The King ordered the two guards to cut off Raman's head with a single stroke from their swords. The guards were always against Raman and wanted to take revenge on him. Hearing this they were very excited.

They took him to the riverfront and tied him to a tree. Then they started sharpening their swords. As one of the guards was about to cut off Raman's head, Raman shouted, "Wait! The King's order was to execute me by both of you together."

Can the Thief steal from Tenali Raman | Tenali Raman Story

This moral short story is about how a Thief tried to rob Tenali Raman and whether he was successful or not.

There was a forest which was very notorious for the thieves. It was known to everyone that if a person will cross from that forest will definitely be attacked by thieves. 

On the other side, Tenali Raman had to start a long journey and on the way, he had to walk through that forest. During the journey when he was inside the forest, another man met him. He was looking a little frightened and said, "I am alone here and I heard that this place is full of thieves. I want to go to another city but I am afraid that the thieves will rob me. Can I tag along with you ?"

Tenali Raman agreed and they continued their journey together.

Tenali Raman and Goddess Kali Encounter | Tenali Raman Story

Tenali Raman had his good days and his bad days. One time he was suffering from a bad cold, his eyes were red with tears coming out, and he had to wipe his nose all the time. His wife gave him hot water with some herbs boiled in it. The drink helped Tenali to get rid of cold within a few hours.

Tenali was happy and relieved. He had his plans to go to Kaali Temple in the evening. His intentions were to pray and get Gold in return with the blessings of Kaali. Although before he left in the evening, his wife gave a small warning, "Don't make jokes there! Pray properly and come with gold".

Tenali Raman & The Horse Racing Competition| Tenali Raman Story

One time King Krishnadeveraya's ministers had bought some horses from outside. The horses were not like any other ordinary horses. They were from Arab. From the time horses came, the ministers kept on praising the horses. However, Tenali Raman didn't agree on this. He mentioned that the horses which Vijayanagar has are far more superior to these Arabian horses. The ministers didn't like his statement & challenged Raman to prove this point in a horse race.

The horse race day was decided. All the courtiers put in much effort to train their horses. They fed the horses well to make sure they were strong and sturdy.

Tenali Raman and the Brinjal Curry | Tenali Raman

This story is a one of the famous stories of Tenali Raman. Tenali Raman was one of the eight advisors of Sri Krishna Devaraya and he was very clever and spontaneous too.

The King had a big garden where he had special and very delicious brinjal. The Chef of the emperor prepares the curry from those brinjals and it was King's favorite too. As the brinjal was very rare and delicious, the garden was always under tight security and no one was allowed to view the plants without the emperor’s permission.

Tenali Raman and The Great Pundit | Tenali Raman

Once upon a time, there was a Great Knowledgeable Pundit, who came to visit King Krishna Deva Raya's court. He claimed that he had knowledge of all subjects and he was an expert in every field. He even told King that he is putting an open challenge to every minister and he can defeat everyone.
The King accepted his challenge and told all his ministers to start preparing for this debate.

Most Intelligent Cat | Tenali Raman

One fine day the ministers of King Krishnadevaraya were discussing the intelligence of animals. One of them said, "My cat is the most intelligent cat." Other one got up and said no mine is more intelligent. Soon the discussion heated up and the King had to intervene.

The king announced the competition for finding out who is the most intelligent cat. He said, "One week from now there will be a competition and the cat that does something which no other can do will be declared the winner".

Tenali Raman and the Weight lifter | Tenali Raman

It was the day when Tenali Raman and his wife were going to Hampi, the capital of Vijayanagara. On the way, they passed a village where the people had gathered outside a temple. Feeling curious they both made their way of pushing the crowd and reached the front.
Tenali saw a Body Builder was exhibiting his strength carrying a huge gunny bag on his left shoulder and twirling his mustache with his right hand.
"You know he is carrying a bag of 500 quintals of rice. He is really strong.", said a man standing next to Tenali. Tenali didn't keep quiet and loudly said, "This is nothing. I can carry a thousand times more weight".

Raman’s cure for hunchback | Tenali Raman

This story is about the time when Tenali Raman was still trying to impress the King.

The King had ordered the guards to execute Tenali. The King told, "He seems to be too clever. Do one thing. Bury him neck deep in the soil so that he cannot move. Then have him crushed by an elephant.”

The guards took Tenali to a far place outside the city. One of the guards dug a deep pit while other was watching Tenali. They both then pushed Tenali into the pit and soon only Tenali's head was visible above the ground.

The Promoted Barber | Tenali Raman

The courtiers of King Krishnadeva Raya were always jealous of Tenali Raman and try to find different ways to get him out. One day they thought of an idea and decided to approach the Royal Barber. They told Barber on what should he do and persuaded him to get Tenali out.

Golden Mangoes | Tenali Raman

The King Krishnadevaraya's mother was a very orthodox woman. She had visited many holy places and had performed religious rites; she had given much in charity. Once she wanted to give fruit in charity and informed so to her son. Krishnadevaraya who had great respect for his mother immediately got delicious mangoes from Ratnagiri. But on the auspicious day when she was to present those fruits to Brahmins, the king's mother died.

Tenali Raman’s Entry Into Bhuvana Vijayam | Tenali Raman

Tenali Raman or Tenali Ramalingam was a minister in the court of the king of Vijaynagar, Krishnadeva Rai. Tenali Rama was a great scholar of several languages that included Marathi, Tamil and Kannada. He was popular all over the country for his wit and a great sense of humor. Stories about Tenali Raman and his practical jokes on everyone around him including distinguished fellow poets and the emperor himself are very famous all over the southern part of India.

Tenali Raman was very mischievous in his childhood. One day, the rural ruler happened to visit Tenali’s academic institution for the annual inspection. He questioned the children in Tenali’s classroom, “Who among you is the most intelligent?”

Tenali Raman and Two Thieves | Tenali Raman

One summer night, when Tenali Raman and his wife were about to sleep, he heard a rustling sound of leaves coming from outside.

There was not even the slightest breeze blowing at the time, so he presumed that there were some thieves hiding in the bushes. He figured that they must be planning to rob his house in the night.

He thought of a plan and said to his wife, “My dear, I have heard that some notorious thieves are on the loose in our neighborhood. So, let’s hide all the jewelry and money that we have in the well.