Vikram Aur Betaal
Encyclopedia
Vikram Aur Betaal was a children's television programme aired on DD National
. The series contained stories from Indian mythology
that aim at teaching kids lessons of life while entertaining them. The concept of the program was based on Baital Pachisi
, a collection of tales about the semi-legendary King Vikram (identified as Vikramāditya
) and the Vetala
, a huge vampire
-like being.
Vikramaditya was a great king who ruled over a prosperous kingdom from his capital at Ujjain
. He had immense love for learning as well as for adventure. He was brave, fearless and with a strong will. Every day, many visitors used to visit the king and gift him something. The King used to accept all the gifts with the same courtesy. Among such visitors was a mendicant who presented the King with a fruit on every visit. King Vikramaditya used to hand over the fruit to the royal storekeeper. One day while handling the fruit broke and pop came out a handy ball of ruby. The King was surprised. He ordered to check all the fruits, and from all fruits a fine ruby. The King decided to meet the mendicant.
However, the mendicant had set a condition that the King must meet him under a Banyan tree in the center of the cremation ground beyond the city, at night, on the 14th day of the dark half of the month. The King met him as decided. The King asked mendicant why he was doing this. The mendicant tells that there is a task that only a King like Vikrmaditya can perform. King Vikramaditya had to visit the northern-most corner of this ground where he would find a very ancient tree. There would be a corpse hanging from one of its branches. He would have to fetch it for the mendicant, as the mendicant was seeking certain occult powers which he would get only if a king brought this particular corpse to him and if he would practice certain rites sitting on it. According to the legend the King Vikramaditya, in order to fulfill a vow, was required to remove a corpse of betaal from a treetop and carry it on his shoulder to another place in silence. En route, the spirit of Betaal (in the corpse) used to narrate a story to the king and after completing the story Betaal would pose a query that if he (The king) knew the answer, was bound to respond lest he will break his head into thousand pieces. But if he does speak out, he would break the vow of silence and Betaal would fly back to the treetop, leaving the king inches short of his destination! The king would go after the vampire and start all over again. And so on and on.
As the name 'Betaal Pachisi' suggests, the Betaal told the King 25 stories. (Pachisi is derived from word Pachis in Hindi
, Nepali
which means twenty five.) However, looking at the determination of the king Vikramaditya, Betaal finally disclosed the true motive of the mendicant. The mendicant's plan was to practice certain rites sitting on Betaal but he would kill the King also to get all powers of the world and rule the world. This created suspicion in Vikramaditya's mind. However, he still went to the mendicant, but he was prepared for surprise. Betaal proved to be right and the mendicant tried to kill Vikramaditya. However, Vikramaditya outwitted the mendicant and killed him.
which means twenty five.)
Each story ended with a witty question for Vikramaditya that he answered correctly. The series presents these stories one by one.
DD National
DD National or DD1 is Doordarshan's flagship channel and the most widely available terrestrial television channel in India.-The Early Years:...
. The series contained stories from Indian mythology
Indian mythology
Indian mythology may refer to:*Indian epic poetry*Vedic mythology*Hindu mythology*Buddhist mythology*Native American mythology...
that aim at teaching kids lessons of life while entertaining them. The concept of the program was based on Baital Pachisi
Baital Pachisi
Baital Pachisi or Vetala Panchavimshati , is a collection of tales and legends within a frame story, from India. It was originally written in Sanskrit....
, a collection of tales about the semi-legendary King Vikram (identified as Vikramāditya
Vikramaditya
Vikramaditya was a legendary emperor of Ujjain, India, famed for his wisdom, valour and magnanimity. The title "Vikramaditya" was later assumed by many other kings in Indian history, notably the Gupta King Chandragupta II and Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya .The name King Vikramaditya is a...
) and the Vetala
Vetala
A vetala is a ghost-like being from Hindu mythology. The vetala are defined as spirits inhabiting corpses and charnel grounds...
, a huge vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
-like being.
Background
'Vikram Aur Betaal' is based on 'Betaal Pachisi', written nearly 2,500 years ago by Mahakavi Somdev Bhatt. These are spellbinding stories told to the wise King Vikramaditya by the wily ghost Betaal.Vikramaditya was a great king who ruled over a prosperous kingdom from his capital at Ujjain
Ujjain
Ujjain , is an ancient city of Malwa region in central India, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River , today part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative centre of Ujjain District and Ujjain Division.In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini...
. He had immense love for learning as well as for adventure. He was brave, fearless and with a strong will. Every day, many visitors used to visit the king and gift him something. The King used to accept all the gifts with the same courtesy. Among such visitors was a mendicant who presented the King with a fruit on every visit. King Vikramaditya used to hand over the fruit to the royal storekeeper. One day while handling the fruit broke and pop came out a handy ball of ruby. The King was surprised. He ordered to check all the fruits, and from all fruits a fine ruby. The King decided to meet the mendicant.
However, the mendicant had set a condition that the King must meet him under a Banyan tree in the center of the cremation ground beyond the city, at night, on the 14th day of the dark half of the month. The King met him as decided. The King asked mendicant why he was doing this. The mendicant tells that there is a task that only a King like Vikrmaditya can perform. King Vikramaditya had to visit the northern-most corner of this ground where he would find a very ancient tree. There would be a corpse hanging from one of its branches. He would have to fetch it for the mendicant, as the mendicant was seeking certain occult powers which he would get only if a king brought this particular corpse to him and if he would practice certain rites sitting on it. According to the legend the King Vikramaditya, in order to fulfill a vow, was required to remove a corpse of betaal from a treetop and carry it on his shoulder to another place in silence. En route, the spirit of Betaal (in the corpse) used to narrate a story to the king and after completing the story Betaal would pose a query that if he (The king) knew the answer, was bound to respond lest he will break his head into thousand pieces. But if he does speak out, he would break the vow of silence and Betaal would fly back to the treetop, leaving the king inches short of his destination! The king would go after the vampire and start all over again. And so on and on.
As the name 'Betaal Pachisi' suggests, the Betaal told the King 25 stories. (Pachisi is derived from word Pachis in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Nepali
Nepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
which means twenty five.) However, looking at the determination of the king Vikramaditya, Betaal finally disclosed the true motive of the mendicant. The mendicant's plan was to practice certain rites sitting on Betaal but he would kill the King also to get all powers of the world and rule the world. This created suspicion in Vikramaditya's mind. However, he still went to the mendicant, but he was prepared for surprise. Betaal proved to be right and the mendicant tried to kill Vikramaditya. However, Vikramaditya outwitted the mendicant and killed him.
The stories
Originally there are 25 stories as the name 'Betaal Pachisi' suggests the Betaal told the King 25 stories. ('Pachisi' is derived from word 'Pachis' in HindiHindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
which means twenty five.)
Each story ended with a witty question for Vikramaditya that he answered correctly. The series presents these stories one by one.
Cast
- Arun GovilArun GovilArun Govil is an award-winning Indian actor, producer and director. He has acted in various Hindi, Bhojpuri, Oriya and Telugu movies. He is best known for playing Rama in Ramanand Sagar's hit television series Ramayan .-Personal life:Arun Govil was born in Ramnagar near Meerut, Uttar Pradesh...
- as King Vikramaditya. - Sajjan Kumar - as Betaal.
- Arvind TrivediArvind TrivediArvind Trivedi is an Indian actor. He, alongside his brother Upendra Trivedi, has been prolific in Gujarati cinema. He is also famous for portraying Ravan in Ramanand Sagar's television series Ramayan...
- as the mendicant. - Deepika ChikhaliaDeepika ChikhaliaDeepika Chikhalia is an Indian actress who rose to fame playing Sita in Ramanand Sagar's hit television series Ramayan. She met with limited success in films in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
- in many roles in different stories. - Vijay AroraVijay AroraVijay Arora *Punjabi* was an actor in Hindi films and television serials, most famous for his roles in Yaadon Ki Baaraat and as Indrajit in the television serial Ramayan...
- in many roles in different stories.