This book is based on the Ithihyamala, an eight-volume compilation of Kerala legends written in Malayalam by Kottarathil Sankunni in the early decades of the last century, between 1909 and 1934. These vibrant fables evoke a long-lost, never-never land: an enchanted world of sorcerers, exorcists and yakshis; eccentric rajas and haughty poets; martial-arts prodigies and peerless physicians; wily wits and devious gadflies; clever elephants, sly crooks, gallant brigands and a motley bunch of uncommon common people. Retold by best-selling author Abraham Eraly and superbly illustrated by Jayachandran, Tales Once Told is an engaging blend of earthy wisdom and sparkling humour.One of the most popular books ever published in Malayalam and a perennial bestseller, the Ithihyamala has in all 126 chapters, with several anecdotes in many of its chapters. These are not folktales, but historical anecdotes of a legendary character. What has been attempted is not a direct translation – the original stories are too rambling for that – but a retelling, by condensing the stories, and in some cases restructuring them or adding prefix explanatory material, but without altering their one and substance.
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