In a kingdom ravaged by famine, King Vikramaditya faces a desperate choice. The fabled Tandava flower, rumored to possess the power to restore life to the land, lies hidden within the treacherous Tandava Forest. Guarded by mythical beasts and shrouded in ancient riddles, the flower can only be retrieved by a king willing to face a terrifying challenge – a bargain with a powerful Vetal spirit. Join Vikramaditya and his loyal bodyguard Bhairava on a perilous quest through fantastical landscapes. As they battle fire-breathing wyverns, climb treacherous mountains guarded by moonlit creatures, and confront the Vetal's cunning riddles, the fate of the kingdom hangs in the balance. But Vikramaditya soon discovers that bargains with spirits come at a heavy price. His sacrifice awakens the flower, bringing life back to the land, but sets the Vetal free. Will the kingdom be saved from starvation, or has Vikramaditya unleashed a new and even greater threat? The King's Bargain is a thrilling fantasy adventure filled with heart-pounding action, cunning riddles, and the moral weight of desperate choices. Perfect for fans of epic quests, mythical creatures, and stories that explore the consequences of sacrifice. Dive into this captivating tale and discover if Vikramaditya's courage and resourcefulness can save his kingdom from the shadows lurking in the moonlight.

The all-time loved collection of Hindu tales of Adventure, Magic, and Romance. Top popular series of Vikrarm-Betal tales now in English

Age old stories of Vikram and Vetal. The tales are retold in a short story/novel way.

‘If you know the answer and do not respond, your head will shatter into pieces!’ In a land of glorious kings, bloodthirsty demons and talking spirits, was born the lore of Vikram and the Vetal. After a series of mysterious events, King Vikramaditya carries the vetal, a witty ghost, on a long journey through death's playground. The vetal narrates the most fascinating tales and asks the most puzzling riddles, leaving Vikram completely stumped. Deepa Agarwal's beautiful translation brings age-old wisdom alive through the vetal's wondrous stories that are bound to confound and captivate readers even today.

Classic tales of courage and compassion The fabled monarch Vikramaditya is considered a model of kingly virtues, and his reign a golden age. These famous stories narrated by the thirty-two statuettes of nymphs supporting the magic throne of Vikramaditya extol his courage, compassion and extraordinary magnanimity. They are set in a framework recounting the myths of his birth, accession, adventures and death in battle, after which the throne remained concealed till its discovery in a later age. A fascinating mix of marvellous happenings, proverbial wisdom and sage precepts, these popular tales are designed to entertain as well as instruct. Many have passed into folk literature. The original author of the Simhasana Dvatrimsika is unknown. The present text is dated to the thirteenth century AD. It exists in four main recensions, from which extracts have been compiled together for the first time, in this lively and faithful translation of this celebrated classic by a renowned Sanskritist

A poor little girl is rewarded with lovely gifts when she feeds a hungry bird all the rice she has. What happens when the girl’s greedy, nosy neighbour hears the story and tries to get better gifts for herself? Why did the once sweet sea water turn salty? How did the learned teacher forget his lessons only to be aided by the school cook? And how did the king hide his horrible donkey ears from the people of his kingdom? For answers to all this and more, delve right into another fabulous collection of stories by Sudha Murty.

A young girl’s father goes missing A strange old man insists on his storytelling An ancient throne reveals forgotten tales When Upa's father gets kidnapped from the tiny village where he was working, she and her mother move to her great-grandmother's house in a small town, to recover from the shock. There the dejected and worried mother and daughter are befriended by an odd-looking stranger who insists on telling them stories of King Vikramaditya and his long-lost throne. As Upa and her mother listen to these magical stories they begin to see the goodness in the people around them and recognize the relevance of the tales of King Vikramaditya in their lives today. Funny yet thought-provoking, Poile Sengupta's retelling of these ancient stories makes them come alive like never before.