One quiet night in Vijayanagara, Tenali Raman noticed two suspicious men hiding behind a tree near his house.
They were whispering and pointing toward his home.
Raman understood immediately — they were thieves.
Instead of panicking, he calmly went inside and spoke loudly to his wife so the thieves could hear.
“My dear,” he said dramatically, “these days theft has increased. We must hide all our gold and jewels safely.”
The thieves leaned closer, listening carefully.
Raman continued,
“Let us put everything in a large box and throw it into the well in our backyard. No thief will ever think to search there!”
The thieves grinned.
After dinner, Raman filled a large wooden box — not with gold, but with stones and broken pots. With great effort, he and his wife dragged it to the backyard and threw it into the well with a loud splash.
The thieves waited patiently until the house lights went out.
Late at night, they crept into the backyard.
One thief whispered, “The treasure is in the well. We must drain the water.”
So they began pulling water out bucket by bucket.
They worked for hours.
The night grew colder.
Their arms ached.
But they were determined.
Meanwhile, inside the house, Tenali Raman was awake and smiling.
He quietly opened a small channel so the water they removed flowed directly into his dry garden.
By morning, the thieves were exhausted.
Finally, they reached the bottom and pulled out the heavy box.
With excitement, they opened it.
Stones.
Nothing but stones.
Just then, Tenali Raman appeared with guards.
“Thank you, my friends,” he said cheerfully.
“You have worked hard all night watering my garden!”
The guards arrested the two tired thieves, who could barely stand.
King Krishnadevaraya later heard the story and laughed heartily.
“Raman,” he said, “you defeated criminals without lifting a weapon.”
And once again, Tenali Raman proved that wit is the strongest shield.
🧠 Moral : Tenali Raman and the Two Thieves
Intelligence can defeat even the strongest enemies.
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