The Best Lie in Vijayanagara
The king holds a contest for the best lie, with a prize of a thousand gold coins. Tenali Raman tells a lie so clever that the king has to pay him either way. By Pagehush Retellings (2026). A traditional tale from the court of King Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara, retold in our own words.
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हिन्दी में पढ़ेंविजयनगर का सबसे अच्छा झूठ · वही कहानीOne festival day King Krishnadevaraya announced a strange contest. “Today I will give a prize of a thousand gold coins for the best lie. The most outrageous, unbelievable lie wins. But it must be a lie that I can recognise as a lie.”
The courtiers loved the idea, and one by one they stepped forward.
“Your Majesty,” said the first, “I once saw an elephant fly across the river, carrying three houses on its back.”
“A lie,” said the king, “but not a very good one.”
“I have a cow at home that gives milk, curd and butter, all at the same time, from three different sides,” said the second.
The court laughed. “Better,” said the king.
“Last year I climbed a mango tree so tall that I picked a star and brought it home. My wife uses it as a lamp,” said the third.
Many more lies were told, each wilder than the last. At last it was Tenali Raman’s turn. He stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
“Your Majesty,” he said, “some years ago, your honoured father, the old king, borrowed a thousand gold coins from my grandfather. Sadly, he never paid them back. And now I have come to ask you, as his son, to return my family’s money.”
The king frowned. “That is a lie. My father never borrowed money from anyone, let alone from your grandfather.”
“Then it is a lie, Your Majesty,” said Tenali. “And since it is the best lie of the day, I have won the thousand gold coins.”
The king opened his mouth, then closed it again. “Wait. If I say it’s not a lie—”
“Then it is the truth, Your Majesty,” said Tenali politely, “and you owe my family a thousand gold coins.”
The court went quiet as everyone worked it out. If it was a lie, Tenali won the prize. If it was the truth, the king had to pay the debt. Either way, a thousand gold coins were going to Tenali Raman.
The king began to laugh. “Tenali, you have tied me in a knot with a single sentence.”
He handed over the thousand coins. “Is there anything you can’t talk your way out of?”
“Oh, many things, Your Majesty,” said Tenali, weighing the bag in his hand. “But fortunately, that wasn’t one of them.”
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