Tales of Tennalirama: The Famous Court Jester of Southern India

Tennalirama flourished in the court of this king and was his favorite jester. He is also said to have been a composer of Telugu verses. As usual with jesters everywhere, Tennalirama enjoyed many privileges in Krishnadeva's court. Many practical jokes fathered upon this jester are extant in Southern India. A Tamil book called Tennaliraman Kathai contains a collection of nineteen stories regarding him. Two of these are too vulgar for the cultivated taste and are omitted from this translation. Even the rest are scarcely up to the mark of a renowned court jester whose name has almost passed into a proverb.