Adapted from the Vetālapañcaviṃśati, Sanskrit tales about Vikramāditya Sākārī, King of Ujjain.

Adaptation of Vālmīki's Rāmāyaṇa; for children.

The stories of Vikram and Betal, originally written in Sanskrit, have been an integral part of the Indian fairy tales for many centuries. Legend has it that King Vikramaditya (Vikram), the Emperor of Ujjain promises a monk to bring Betal, the vampire as a favour promised to him. The condition is that the King should bring the vampire with complete silence otherwise the vampire will fly back with corpse to the tree. As soon as Vikram attempts to fetch the corpse, the vampire starts to narrate a story. And at the end of every story, it compels King Vikram to answer his question, thus breaking his silence. The collection of Vikram and Betal stories bring before the young readers some of the most amazing tales ending with a moral. Hope the children will enjoy reading them.

A vampire piggybacking on a king's back while spinning stories and riddles! Poor King Vikram! Tasked by the sorcerer Shaitanish to bring him a corpse, he finds that a vampire named Betal has taken residence in it. He’ll come along only if King Vikram lends a willing ear to a series of riddling tales. There’s the one about the world’s most sensitive ladies: Queens Touchmenot, Itsratherhot and Oohmyhead. There’s the tale of the four foolish brothers Nin, Com, Poo and Oops. Each tale is crazier, funnier, madder than the last, and even if King Vikram doesn’t enjoy the journey - you sure will! The story of Vikram and Betal is over a thousand years old. See this much-loved traditional tale come alive with Priya Kuriyan’s fabulous illustrations. Published by Zubaan.