Browse by category
.jpg){kind=small}
Book review
Ghatotkacha was one of the finest characters in the Mahabharata – affectionate and kind, even though he was a Rakshasa. Perhaps that was because he was only half Rakshasa as the son of Bheema and the Rakshasi Hidimbaa. From his mother he learnt all the arts if the Rakshasas; from his farther he inherited the affectionate and chivalrous temperament. He was an invaluable ally to the Pandavas in times of trouble – he appeared before them whenever they thought of him.
The theme of Vatsala’s wedding, very popular in South India, is much exploited in ballads and stories. It was Ghatotkacha, who with his Rakshasa hordes and their magical powers made the wedding of Abhimanyu and Vatsala possible. This story is not found in the Mahabharata or in Sanskrit literature. It seems to have evolved at a much later date, as a legend in Telegu and Kannada. The exponents of the art of Harikatha count this story as the most popular one in their repertoire and it has been handed down by word of mouth for generation.
This Amar Chitra Katha is derived partly from the Mahabharata and partly from legend.
Ghatotkacha was one of the finest characters in the Mahabharata – affectionate and kind, even though he was a Rakshasa. Perhaps that was because he was only half Rakshasa as the son of Bheema and the Rakshasi Hidimbaa. From his mother he learnt all the arts if the Rakshasas; from his farther he inherited the affectionate and chivalrous temperament. He was an invaluable ally to the Pandavas in times of trouble – he appeared before them whenever they thought of him.
The theme of Vatsala’s wedding, very popular in South India, is much exploited in ballads and stories. It was Ghatotkacha, who with his Rakshasa hordes and their magical powers made the wedding of Abhimanyu and Vatsala possible. This story is not found in the Mahabharata or in Sanskrit literature. It seems to have evolved at a much later date, as a legend in Telegu and Kannada. The exponents of the art of Harikatha count this story as the most popular one in their repertoire and it has been handed down by word of mouth for generation.
This Amar Chitra Katha is derived partly from the Mahabharata and partly from legend.
Amar Chitra Katha
The Great Hindi Poets - By Anant Pai
Soordas, the blind bard of Brij, is considered the Valmiki of Brij (a dialect of Hindi), not only because he was the first poet to write...more>>
Soordas, the blind bard of Brij, is considered the Valmiki of Brij (a dialect of Hindi), not only because he was the first poet to write...more>>
Tales of Birbal - By Anant Pai
Who hasn’t heard of Raja Birbal – the wise and witty minister in the court of Akbar, the Great Mughal Though popularly known as Bir...more>>
Who hasn’t heard of Raja Birbal – the wise and witty minister in the court of Akbar, the Great Mughal Though popularly known as Bir...more>>
Tales from the Panchatantra - By Anant Pai
The original Sanskrit text of the Panchatantra was probably written about 200 B.C. by the great scholar, Vishnu Sharma. But some...more>>
The original Sanskrit text of the Panchatantra was probably written about 200 B.C. by the great scholar, Vishnu Sharma. But some...more>>
Tales from the Jatakas - By Anant Pai
All living creatures die to be born again, so the Hindus believe. The Buddha was no exception. Legend has it that several lifeti...more>>
All living creatures die to be born again, so the Hindus believe. The Buddha was no exception. Legend has it that several lifeti...more>>
Tales from the Hitopadesha - By Anant Pai
The Panchatantra was written by Pandit Vishnu Sharma between the second and third centuries B.C., but Hitopadesha, came much lat...more>>
The Panchatantra was written by Pandit Vishnu Sharma between the second and third centuries B.C., but Hitopadesha, came much lat...more>>