The 32 Statues of the Throne

Told in English, Telugu.

Long, long ago, in the city of Dhara, there lived a king named Bhoja Raju. He was clever, he loved poetry, and he ruled his people well. But like many of us, he had one small weakness. Deep in his heart, he liked to be praised.

One day, Bhoja Raju was riding through the countryside with his minister. They passed a wide green field where cows were grazing. In the middle of the field was a small mound of earth, covered with grass. And on top of that mound sat a cowherd boy, with a stick across his knees like a king's sceptre.

Around him stood a group of village children. Two of them were arguing loudly about a mango. Each one said it was his.

The cowherd boy listened quietly to both. Then he asked a few questions. Who planted the tree? Who watered it? Who saw the mango fall? In a few minutes, he gave his decision, and it was so fair that both children nodded and went away smiling.

Bhoja Raju was surprised. He got down from his horse and watched for a while. Child after child came with a quarrel, and every time the cowherd boy spoke like a wise old judge. But when the boy climbed down from the mound to chase a wandering calf, he was just an ordinary, giggling village boy again.

The king turned to his minister. There is something special about that mound, he said. When the boy sits there, wisdom comes to him. Let us find out why.

So the king's men began to dig. They dug and dug, and the earth fell away, and at last their spades struck something hard. They brushed away the soil, and everyone gasped. There, under the ground, was a magnificent throne made of gold and set with jewels. Around it, holding it up, stood thirty-two beautiful statues of young women, carved so finely that they almost seemed to breathe.

The wise men of the court looked at it carefully. This, they said in wonder, is the throne of the great King Vikramarka of Ujjain. It has been hidden in the earth for a very long time.

Now, every child in our land has heard of Vikramarka. He was famous for his courage, his fairness and his enormous heart. Bhoja Raju's eyes shone. If I sit on Vikramarka's throne, he thought, then everyone will say I am as great as Vikramarka.

The throne was carried to the palace in Dhara. A lucky day was chosen. Musicians played, priests chanted, and the whole court gathered. Bhoja Raju, dressed in his finest silks, walked up to the throne and lifted his foot onto the first step.

And then, something wonderful happened. The first statue moved. Her stone eyes opened, and she spoke in a clear, sweet voice.

Wait, O king. Before you sit on this throne, tell me. Are you as generous as King Vikramarka? Only a king like him may sit here. Let me tell you one story about him, and then you can decide.

The whole court fell silent. Bhoja Raju slowly took his foot back. And the statue began her story.

Once, she said, King Vikramarka went to the seashore to perform a great ceremony. He prayed to the sea with a pure heart. The sea god was so pleased that he rose from the waves and gave the king four shining jewels.

The first jewel, said the sea god, will give you as much wealth as you wish. The second will give you endless food. The third will give you a great army. And the fourth will give you fine clothes and jewels.

Vikramarka thanked him and started home. On the way, he met a poor Brahmin, thin and tired, who had walked many miles to ask the king for help with his daughter's wedding.

The king did not hesitate even a moment. He held out the four jewels and said, Take any one you like. Go home and ask your family which one they want.

The Brahmin hurried home. But oh, what a noisy discussion there was! His son said, Take the army jewel, then we will be powerful. His wife said, Take the food jewel, then we will never be hungry again. His daughter-in-law wanted the jewel of fine clothes. And the Brahmin himself wanted the wealth. Nobody could agree, and soon everyone was upset.

The poor Brahmin went back to the king with a sad face and told him everything.

Vikramarka laughed gently. Then do not choose at all, he said. Take all four. I do not want anyone in your home to be unhappy because of my gift.

The statue looked at Bhoja Raju. That was King Vikramarka, she said. He gave away treasures from the sea god himself, without a second thought. Could you have done the same?

Bhoja Raju stood very still. He thought of his own treasury, and how carefully he counted every gold coin. He could not honestly say yes.

And as he stood there, the first statue smiled, rose up into the air like a bird made of light, and flew away out of the palace window.

The next day, Bhoja Raju tried again. This time the second statue spoke. Are you as brave and kind as Vikramarka? Listen.

She told how Vikramarka, travelling alone in disguise to see how his people lived, came to a village where everyone was weeping. A cruel demon in the forest nearby demanded that one villager be sent to him every month, and this month it was the turn of an old woman's only son.

The king did not say, This is not my problem. He did not say, Let someone else go. He told the old woman, Keep your son at home. I will go in his place.

He walked into the forest by himself. When the demon came, Vikramarka faced him without fear. The demon was so astonished that a stranger would offer his own life for a boy he did not even know, that his heart, hard as rock for many years, began to soften. He bowed before the king and promised never to trouble the village again.

Could you, asked the statue, walk into danger for a stranger? And she too rose up and flew away.

This happened again, and again, and again. Day after day, Bhoja Raju came to the throne, and each time a statue told him another story. One told how Vikramarka shared his last bit of food with a hungry traveller. Another told how he kept a promise even when it cost him dearly. Another told how he judged a case fairly, even though the guilty person was a powerful friend.

What do you think was happening inside Bhoja Raju's heart, while he listened to all these stories?

At first, he felt embarrassed. Then he felt a little angry. Why should statues tell a king what to do? But slowly, slowly, as the days went by, the anger melted away. He began to listen properly. After each story, he went back to his own kingdom and quietly tried to do a little better. He opened his storehouses for the poor. He listened to his humblest subjects. He kept his word.

Thirty-one statues told their stories, and thirty-one statues flew away. At last, only one was left.

When Bhoja Raju came before her, he did not lift his foot onto the step. Instead, he folded his hands.

I understand now, he said softly. I wanted this throne because I wanted people to praise me. But a throne does not make a man great. It is the way he lives that makes him great. I am not Vikramarka. But I will try, every day, to be a little more like him.

The last statue smiled the warmest smile of all. O king, she said, you have learned the most important lesson. A person who knows he still has much to learn is already on the right path. Rule your people with kindness, and you will be worthy in your own way.

And with that, she too rose like a bird of light and flew away, leaving the golden throne shining and empty.

They say that Bhoja Raju ruled for many years after that, and his people loved him dearly. Not because he sat on a famous throne, but because he had learned to be humble, generous and fair.

So, my dear, the next time you want to be the best at something, remember the thirty-two statues. Being great is not about where you sit. It is about how you treat the people around you. Now close your eyes, and dream of golden thrones and flying statues. Good night.