Harischandra (Amar Chitra Katha)

Harischandra' has come to mean the name of a truthful person who keeps his word even at the cost of his and his dear ones' lives. Having disturbed the penance of a sage, Harischandra atones for it by promising to give anything. The sage asks for his kingdom, which he gives it away. He is asked to go in exile with wife and son. During the exile his son succumbs to a snake-bite. The family is eventually reunited on the cremation ground by divine grace for his adherence to truth. Harishchandra's story has been told in the purana's (traditional mythical compositions) starting with the oldest. It has been sung, dramatized and performed in folk style all over India. In his biography Mahatma Gandhi recounted the lasting impression of a play on Harishchandra's life that he saw as a child.