The Life of Harishchandra, Raghavanka's thirteenth-century masterpiece, is the first poetic rendering of one of ancient India's most enduring legends. When his commitment to truth is tested by a powerful sage, King Harishchandra suffers utter deprivation--the loss of his wife and son, his citizens and power, and, dearest of all, his caste status--but refuses to yield. The tale has influenced poets and readers through the ages. Mahatma Gandhi traced his own commitment to truth to the impact of a Harishchandra play seen in childhood.

A poet from northern Karnataka trained in the...