Tenali Raman : The Secret of Weaving Invisible Fabric

The capital of Vijayanagar was ruled by King Krishna Deva Raya. The usual activities of the day were halted as a gorgeous woman entered the royal court.

After the formal greetings, she took out a small box. From it, she took out the most delicate sari that would hardly cover the tip of a finger!
After showing the sari to the royal court attendants, she addressed the king, “Oh great king! I have a group of very talented weavers who know the secret of weaving this beautiful, most delicate and thinnest celestial fabric which cannot be seen by the naked eye.”

She continued, “With your blessings and financial support, these weavers can work wonders and exhibit before the honorable king!”

The king was impressed by the exhibit and believed her. After allotting the funds, the king asked the lady to get the work done with thorough research in one year.

Over the span of a year, the beautiful lady and the workers lived in the royal guest house and enjoyed the royal treatment extended by the king. However, even after one year there was no news of the research and neither was any fabric exhibited by the weavers.

The anxious king ordered his men to check on the progress of the celestial fabric that was fit to be worn by the gods and sent some of them to the guest house to inspect the weavers.

The inspectors were greeted by the lady and she took them to the location where the weavers were working. They seemed to be working so seriously that they didn’t even notice the presence of guests in the room.

To their astonishment, the inspectors found that there were no looms, thread spools or even a string of thread in the room. All the weavers sitting in the room seemed to be pretending to draw out the thread and weave. The inspectors stood there confused and inquired about the situation. The lady smirked at them, and in a very husky voice, told them, “Gentlemen, the invisible or celestial fabric is only seen by the pure-hearted along with the purity of their parents. I am very sure that you can see the intricacy of the fabric and the details of the design created by our weavers!”

Fearing that they might be branded as sinners if they spoke the truth, the inspectors decided to act as if they could see the fabric. They even appreciated the delicacy and beauty of the work done. They conveyed the same to the king as well, keeping up with their act in the guest house.

Listening to such praises of the work being done by the weavers, the king became even more enthusiastic to see greatness of the fabric.
After few days, the king ordered his men to bring the weavers to his court along with the finished product.

The royal court was packed with spectators wanting to have a look at this celestial fabric.

As a part of their introductory speech, the weavers addressed the gathering and said, “Divine material has been used in making of this fabric.
Hence, it is only visible to the ones with a pure heart along with the purity of their parents.”

Silence echoed all around the royal court as no one could actually see any fabric in front of them. But in order to save themselves from the embarrassment, they all said that they were able to view the exhibit, and started applauding its beauty and praising the weavers.

Finally, the king, accompanied by Tenali Raman, entered the court to witness the exhibition. The weavers again repeated the same phrases. King Krishna Deva Raya stood there in astonishment and said to Tenali, “Tenali! I am afraid I only see the empty hands of those weavers! I wonder whether it is a result of my heart’s impurity or that of my parents’!” Tenali replied, “My lord! There is nothing visible except thin air! These weavers are cheating us with their deceptive but effective speech”

This made the king suspicious and he asked Tenali to make public the cheating of the weavers.

Instantly, Tenali devised a plan. He turned towards the gorgeous lady and with an inquisitive tone, said to her, “A true work of beauty, my lady! The king of kings is eager to see you adorned in such a glorious fabric”

The lady was now aware that Tenali had uncovered her deceitful plan. She was in a position where she could neither refuse the king’s orders nor stand nude in front of such a huge crowd.

After a moment of silence and confusion, the lady fell on the king’s feet and begged for pardon.

Once again, Tenali and his quick wits proved to be contributory to the king’s rule!

And ever since, nudity is referred to as wearing divine clothes!

For more interesting Tenali Raman stories for kids, click here.